UN chief warns of growing risks as high seas treaty moves forward

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivered a strong warning Monday about the future of the world’s oceans, highlighting threats from “predatory” deep-sea mining, plastic pollution, rising temperatures, and collapsing fish stocks.

Speaking at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, Guterres called the ocean “the ultimate shared resource” but said humanity is failing to protect it.

The conference aims to ratify the High Seas Treaty, adopted in 2023, which would give countries the authority to create protected marine areas across roughly two-thirds of the planet’s oceans — areas currently lacking regulation. Today, only about 8% of the oceans have conservation status, with just 1% fully protected.

French President Emmanuel Macron described the treaty as “a done deal,” with 50 countries ratifying it and another 15 promising to do so. Macron also announced plans to partially ban destructive bottom-trawling fishing in half of France’s protected marine areas, though some conservationists say this does not go far enough.

Guterres warned especially against unregulated deep-sea mining, calling it a threat that could turn the ocean floor into a “wild west.” Several nations, including China and Russia, are keen to explore underwater mineral resources. Macron and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva criticized this “predatory race” for critical minerals, with Macron calling for an international moratorium.

Small island nations — facing rising sea levels, polluted waters, and depleted fish stocks — urged larger countries to prove their commitment to ocean protection. Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr challenged the global community: “If you are serious about protecting the ocean, prove it.”

The UN also announced plans to mobilize new funding sources to meet an estimated $175 billion annual investment needed to restore ocean health by 2028. Currently, investment falls far short, with $10 billion spent globally between 2015 and 2019.

Copied