International Effort Urged for Marine Conservation Ahead of UN Ocean Conference
In a prelude to the United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, French President Emmanuel Macron called for an international mobilization to protect the world’s oceans. Speaking on Sunday, Macron emphasized the scientific consensus on the urgent need for marine conservation, lamenting that the climate crisis, which also imperils the oceans, has lost its priority in public debate. He criticized the reduction of funds for scientific research as a “colossal mistake” particularly in the context of the United States, which will not send an official delegation to the UN conference this year.
German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider, attending the conference’s opening event on the research vessel “Malizia Explorer” emphasized the importance of marine research as the “foundation of good ocean protection policy.” He stated that only what is known can be effectively protected and that the protection of the oceans must be “placed much higher on the international agenda.”
Macron hosted a dinner for around 50 state and government leaders on the evening of the conference’s opening, ahead of the gathering of representatives from approximately 130 states and 40 international organizations in Nice from Monday. The biennial UN conference is the most important international summit for ocean conservation, with Germany set to advocate for the establishment of marine protected areas, a reduction in marine plastic waste and a moratorium on deep-sea mining.