After more than fifteen years of disagreement and discord–there isfinallyalegally bindingU.N. accord to protect theworld’s oceans. The historic high seas treaty was agreed on Saturday in New York.
The treaty is a major step toward the goal to protect at least 30 percent of ocean areas by 2030 – that was a target President Joe Biden laid out for the United States in 2021. And it’s part of a broader land and marine conservation commitment of the United Nations known as 30×30.
Very little of the highseas,only two hundred miles outside of national borders, hasbeensubject to protection.And till now, international waters have been largely governed by fragmented patchworks of global agreements and organizations.
Sowhat took so long in coming to an agreement on governing the high seas? And once it is ratified, what does it mean for marine life conservation?
Copyright 2023 WAMU 88.5
