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.
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said a Togo-flagged oil tanker was struck while attempting to make an “illegal passage” through the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media said early on Friday.
Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
Ed Sheeran has broken his silence on the controversy surrounding his U.S. tour, apologising for decisions made after rapper Macklemore was removed from the line-up over his public support for Palestine.
French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting the tiny French territory of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, off the coast of Canada, where he is due to meet Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Sunday (20 September).
The death toll from an overnight Russian attack on the Kyiv region rose to four, including three children, Kyiv regional authorities said on Sunday. A mother and her two 3-year-old children were killed when a Russian drone strike hit a private home, the emergency service said.
A small container of lunar soil travelled more than 380,000 kilometres from the far side of the Moon to Earth two years ago. It recently made one more journey - from Beijing to Vienna, where China officially handed it over to the United Nations.
Russian authorities have reported attacks on voting systems and communication lines as the country’s parliamentary election entered its second day on Saturday (19 September).
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