Latest news with #RebeccaHubbard
The Star
14-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Agreement in place as nations advance ocean protection, vow to defend seabed
NICE, France (AFP): A global oceans summit wrapped up Friday with world leaders taking major steps toward marine protection and vowing a showdown when nations meet to negotiate rules for deep-sea mining next month. But as a cacophony of ship foghorns sounded the close of the UN Ocean Conference in France, a lack of funding pledges and the total omission of fossil fuels disappointed some observers. The summit was just the third -- and largest yet -- dedicated entirely to what the United Nations calls an "emergency" in the world's oceans. More than 60 heads of state and government joined thousands of business leaders, scientists and environmental campaigners over five days in the southern city of Nice. - Treaty tide - There was unanimous praise for efforts to ratify the high seas treaty designed to protect marine life in the 60 percent of oceans that lie beyond national waters. Some 19 countries formally ratified the pact at Nice, taking the overall tally to 50 -- but 60 nations are needed to bring the treaty into force. France's oceans envoy, Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, said the numbers would be reached by September and the treaty should take effect by January, 2026. Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance, welcomed the "incredible progress" but urged "all remaining nations to ratify without delay". The summit sought a collective lift for oceans even as countries brace for tough talks over deep-sea mining in July and a plastic pollution treaty in August. More than 90 ministers called in Nice for the treaty to enshrine limits on plastic production -- something fiercely opposed by oil-producing nations. The summit also rallied behind a defence of science and rules-based oversight of common resources -- most notably the unknown depths of the oceans -- in a direct rebuke of US President Donald Trump. Trump was not present in Nice and rarely mentioned by name, but his shadow loomed as leaders thundered against his unilateral push to mine the ocean floor for nickel and minerals. A member of Ocean Rebellion dressed in a costume of France's President Emmanuel Macron with banded eyes stands on the beach along the Promenade des Anglais on the sidelines of the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), in the French Riviera city of Nice, on June 10, 2025. -- Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP - Seabed row - France and like-minded countries vowed to block any effort to permit deep-sea exploration at negotiations over a mining code at the International Seabed Authority next month, said Poivre d'Arvor. "Nobody knows what is there in the deep sea... you cannot launch recklessly down this path," he said in a closing address. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged caution, warning against turning the deep sea into "the wild west". Leaders "made it unmistakably clear: deep-sea mining is one of the biggest threats facing our ocean, and the world is saying no", said Sofia Tsenikli from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition. But for all the rhetoric, a global alliance opposed to deep-sea mining only attracted four new members at Nice, rising to 37 nations. - Missing billions - Greece, Samoa and Colombia were among 14 nations who unveiled plans for vast new marine protected areas, taking the share of the world's oceans under conservation to more than 10 percent. Some also announced restrictions on bottom trawling, a destructive fishing method captured in grisly detail in a new David Attenborough documentary. Activists had pushed for a total ban on this kind of trawling, which uses heavy weighted nets dragged across the ocean floor. Developing nations hoping their larger and wealthier counterparts would open the chequebook in Nice were disappointed. Small island nations in particular have long complained they lack the finances required to build seawalls against rising tides and protect their waters from illegal fishers. While private donors pledged around 8.7 billion euros ($10 billion) over the next five years, the UN says $175 billion a year is needed for sustainable ocean development. Fossil fuels -- the main driver of climate change, ocean warming and the acidification of the seas -- were notably absent for a summit dedicated to marine protection. "Ignoring the imperative of phasing out offshore oil and gas is not just an injustice: it is inadmissible," said Bruna Campos from the Center for International Environmental Law. The summit closed with the unanimous adoption of a political statement, negotiated over many months, that contained no mention of coal, oil and gas. "We must all reckon with the reality that you cannot protect the ocean without confronting the biggest root cause bringing it to the breaking point," former US special climate envoy John Kerry said in a statement. - AFP
Time of India
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Nations advance ocean protection, vow to defend seabed
Representative image NICE: A global oceans summit wrapped up Friday with world leaders taking major steps toward marine protection and vowing a showdown when nations meet to negotiate rules for deep-sea mining next month. But as a cacophony of ship foghorns sounded the close of the UN Ocean Conference in France, a lack of funding pledges and the total omission of fossil fuels disappointed some observers. The summit was just the third -- and largest yet -- dedicated entirely to what the United Nations calls an "emergency" in the world's oceans. More than 60 heads of state and government joined thousands of business leaders, scientists and environmental campaigners over five days in the southern city of Nice. Treaty tide There was unanimous praise for efforts to ratify the high seas treaty designed to protect marine life in the 60 percent of oceans that lie beyond national waters. Some 19 countries formally ratified the pact at Nice, taking the overall tally to 50 -- but 60 nations are needed to bring the treaty into force. France's oceans envoy, Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, said the numbers would be reached by September and the treaty should take effect by January, 2026. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade gold CFDs with a trusted broker | Open an account today. IC Markets Sign Up Undo Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance, welcomed the "incredible progress" but urged "all remaining nations to ratify without delay". The summit sought a collective lift for oceans even as countries brace for tough talks over deep-sea mining in July and a plastic pollution treaty in August. More than 90 ministers called in Nice for the treaty to enshrine limits on plastic production -- something fiercely opposed by oil-producing nations. The summit also rallied behind a defence of science and rules-based oversight of common resources -- most notably the unknown depths of the oceans -- in a direct rebuke of US President Donald Trump. Trump was not present in Nice and rarely mentioned by name, but his shadow loomed as leaders thundered against his unilateral push to mine the ocean floor for nickel and minerals. Seabed row France and like-minded countries vowed to block any effort to permit deep-sea exploration at negotiations over a mining code at the International Seabed Authority next month, said Poivre d'Arvor. "Nobody knows what is there in the deep sea... you cannot launch recklessly down this path," he said in a closing address. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged caution, warning against turning the deep sea into "the wild west". Leaders "made it unmistakably clear: deep-sea mining is one of the biggest threats facing our ocean, and the world is saying no", said Sofia Tsenikli from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition. But for all the rhetoric, a global alliance opposed to deep-sea mining only attracted four new members at Nice, rising to 37 nations. Missing billions Greece, Samoa and Colombia were among 14 nations who unveiled plans for vast new marine protected areas, taking the share of the world's oceans under conservation to more than 10 percent. Some also announced restrictions on bottom trawling, a destructive fishing method captured in grisly detail in a new David Attenborough documentary. Activists had pushed for a total ban on this kind of trawling, which uses heavy weighted nets dragged across the ocean floor. Developing nations hoping their larger and wealthier counterparts would open the chequebook in Nice were disappointed. Small island nations in particular have long complained they lack the finances required to build seawalls against rising tides and protect their waters from illegal fishers. While private donors pledged around 8.7 billion euros ($10 billion) over the next five years, the UN says $175 billion a year is needed for sustainable ocean development. Fossil fuels -- the main driver of climate change, ocean warming and the acidification of the seas -- were notably absent for a summit dedicated to marine protection. "Ignoring the imperative of phasing out offshore oil and gas is not just an injustice: it is inadmissible," said Bruna Campos from the Center for International Environmental Law. The summit closed with the unanimous adoption of a political statement, negotiated over many months, that contained no mention of coal, oil and gas. "We must all reckon with the reality that you cannot protect the ocean without confronting the biggest root cause bringing it to the breaking point," former US special climate envoy John Kerry said in a statement.
GMA Network
13-06-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Nations advance ocean protection, vow to defend seabed
NICE, France - A global oceans summit wrapped up Friday with world leaders taking major steps toward marine protection and vowing a showdown when nations meet to negotiate rules for deep-sea mining next month. But as a cacophony of ship foghorns sounded the close of the UN Ocean Conference in France, a lack of funding pledges and the total omission of fossil fuels disappointed some observers. The summit was just the third -- and largest yet -- dedicated entirely to what the United Nations calls an "emergency" in the world's oceans. More than 60 heads of state and government joined thousands of business leaders, scientists and environmental campaigners over five days in the southern city of Nice. Treaty tide There was unanimous praise for efforts to ratify the high seas treaty designed to protect marine life in the 60 percent of oceans that lie beyond national waters. Some 19 countries formally ratified the pact at Nice, taking the overall tally to 50 -- but 60 nations are needed to bring the treaty into force. France's oceans envoy, Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, said the numbers would be reached by September and the treaty should take effect by January, 2026. Rebecca Hubbard, director of the High Seas Alliance, welcomed the "incredible progress" but urged "all remaining nations to ratify without delay". The summit sought a collective lift for oceans even as countries brace for tough talks over deep-sea mining in July and a plastic pollution treaty in August. More than 90 ministers called in Nice for the treaty to enshrine limits on plastic production -- something fiercely opposed by oil-producing nations. The summit also rallied behind a defense of science and rules-based oversight of common resources -- most notably the unknown depths of the oceans -- in a direct rebuke of US President Donald Trump. Trump was not present in Nice and rarely mentioned by name, but his shadow loomed as leaders thundered against his unilateral push to mine the ocean floor for nickel and minerals. Seabed row France and like-minded countries vowed to block any effort to permit deep-sea exploration at negotiations over a mining code at the International Seabed Authority next month, said Poivre d'Arvor. "Nobody knows what is there in the deep sea... you cannot launch recklessly down this path," he said in a closing address. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged caution, warning against turning the deep sea into "the wild west". Leaders "made it unmistakably clear: deep-sea mining is one of the biggest threats facing our ocean, and the world is saying no", said Sofia Tsenikli from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition. But for all the rhetoric, a global alliance opposed to deep-sea mining only attracted four new members at Nice, rising to 37 nations. Missing billions Greece, Samoa and Colombia were among 14 nations who unveiled plans for vast new marine protected areas, taking the share of the world's oceans under conservation to more than 10 percent. Some also announced restrictions on bottom trawling, a destructive fishing method captured in grisly detail in a new David Attenborough documentary. Activists had pushed for a total ban on this kind of trawling, which uses heavy weighted nets dragged across the ocean floor. Developing nations hoping their larger and wealthier counterparts would open the checkbook in Nice were disappointed. Small island nations in particular have long complained they lack the finances required to build seawalls against rising tides and protect their waters from illegal fishers. While private donors pledged around 8.7 billion euros ($10 billion) over the next five years, the UN says $175 billion a year is needed for sustainable ocean development. Fossil fuels -- the main driver of climate change, ocean warming and the acidification of the seas -- were notably absent for a summit dedicated to marine protection. "Ignoring the imperative of phasing out offshore oil and gas is not just an injustice: it is inadmissible," said Bruna Campos from the Center for International Environmental Law. The summit closed with the unanimous adoption of a political statement, negotiated over many months, that contained no mention of coal, oil and gas. "We must all reckon with the reality that you cannot protect the ocean without confronting the biggest root cause bringing it to the breaking point," former US special climate envoy John Kerry said in a statement. —Agence France-Presse
Int'l Business Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
UN Summit Celebrates Ocean Protections, But Drops Fossil Fuels
A global oceans summit concludes Friday with nations taking major steps toward marine protection and vowing a showdown over deep-sea mining, but criticised for leaving fossil fuels off the agenda. Countries hoping for new financial pledges to assist with combating rising seas and overfishing were also left disappointed at the UN Ocean Conference in France. More than 60 heads of state and government joined thousands of business leaders, scientists and environmental campaigners over five days in the southern city of Nice. The United Nations says the world's oceans are facing an "emergency" and the Nice gathering was just the third -- and the largest yet -- dedicated entirely to the seas. Activists unanimously praised concrete progress toward ratifying a landmark pact to protect marine life in the 60 percent of oceans that lie beyond national waters. "This week's ratifications of the high seas treaty mark a major milestone for ocean action," said Rebecca Hubbard from the High Seas Alliance. Some 19 countries formally ratified the treaty at Nice, taking the overall tally to 50. Sixty nations are needed to enact the treaty. France's special envoy for the oceans, Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, said the numbers would be ready in time for a formal ratification ceremony in September in New York. The treaty should then take effect in January 2026, he added. The conference sought to rally global action on marine protection as countries prepare to tussle over global rules for deep-sea mining in July and a plastics treaty in August. More than 90 ministers issued a symbolic call in Nice for the hard-fought plastics treaty to contain limits on consumption and production of new plastics, something opposed by oil-producing nations. The summit rallied a defence of science and rules-based oversight of common resources -- most notably the unknown depths of the oceans -- in a direct rebuke of US President Donald Trump. Trump was not present in Nice and rarely mentioned by name but his spectre loomed large as leaders backed the global multilateralism he has spurned. In particular, leaders condemned Trump's push to fast-track seabed mining, vowing to resist his unilateral efforts to exploit the ocean floor. Leaders "made it unmistakably clear: deep-sea mining is one of the biggest threats facing our ocean, and the world is saying no," said Sofia Tsenikli from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition. French President Emmanuel Macron called it "madness" while Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned against a "predatory" race for critical minerals. But a global alliance opposed to deep-sea mining, and spearheaded by France, only attracted four new members during the summit, taking the total to 37 nations. Poivre d'Arvor said the alliance would flatly reject any call at a meeting of the International Seabed Authority next month to permit deep-sea exploration. The authority, backed by the UN, has 169 member states. Many nations took the opportunity to unveil plans to create vast new marine protected areas and restrict bottom trawling, which was recently captured in grisly detail in a new David Attenborough documentary. Activists had wanted countries to go further, advocating for a total ban on the destructive fishing method that sees heavy nets dragged across the ocean floor. Some 8.7 billion euros ($10 billion) was committed over the next five years by philanthropists and private investors for the sustainable development of ocean economies. But pledges were less forthcoming from wealthy governments, with France announcing two million euros for climate adaptation in Pacific Island nations. The summit will close later Friday with a joint political statement, negotiated over many months between nations, that critics slammed for omitting any reference to fossil fuels -- the key driver of ocean warming. Laurence Tubiana, CEO at the European Climate Foundation, said Nice showed global cooperation was still possible "but let's not confuse signatures with solutions". "No communique ever cooled a marine heatwave," she said. Former US special climate envoy John Kerry, who was present in Nice, said in a statement that it was impossible to "protect the ocean without confronting the biggest root cause bringing it to the breaking point: the pollution from unabated fossil fuels pumped into the atmosphere".
eNCA
13-06-2025
- Politics
- eNCA
UN summit celebrates ocean protections, but drops fossil fuels
A global oceans summit concludes Friday with nations taking major steps toward marine protection and vowing a showdown over deep-sea mining, but criticised for leaving fossil fuels off the agenda. Countries hoping for new financial pledges to assist with combating rising seas and overfishing were also left disappointed at the UN Ocean Conference in France. More than 60 heads of state and government joined thousands of business leaders, scientists and environmental campaigners over five days in the southern city of Nice. The United Nations says the world's oceans are facing an "emergency" and the Nice gathering was just the third -- and the largest yet -- dedicated entirely to the seas. - Treaty tide - Activists unanimously praised concrete progress toward ratifying a landmark pact to protect marine life in the 60 percent of oceans that lie beyond national waters. "This week's ratifications of the high seas treaty mark a major milestone for ocean action," said Rebecca Hubbard from the High Seas Alliance. Some 19 countries formally ratified the treaty at Nice, taking the overall tally to 50. Sixty nations are needed to enact the treaty. France's special envoy for the oceans, Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, said the numbers would be ready in time for a formal ratification ceremony in September in New York. The treaty should then take effect in January 2026, he added. - Plastic push - The conference sought to rally global action on marine protection as countries prepare to tussle over global rules for deep-sea mining in July and a plastics treaty in August. More than 90 ministers issued a symbolic call in Nice for the hard-fought plastics treaty to contain limits on consumption and production of new plastics, something opposed by oil-producing nations. - Elephant in the room - The summit rallied a defence of science and rules-based oversight of common resources -- most notably the unknown depths of the oceans -- in a direct rebuke of US President Donald Trump. Trump was not present in Nice and rarely mentioned by name but his spectre loomed large as leaders backed the global multilateralism he has spurned. In particular, leaders condemned Trump's push to fast-track seabed mining, vowing to resist his unilateral efforts to exploit the ocean floor. - Seabed row - Leaders "made it unmistakably clear: deep-sea mining is one of the biggest threats facing our ocean, and the world is saying no," said Sofia Tsenikli from the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition. French President Emmanuel Macron called it "madness" while Brazil's Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned against a "predatory" race for critical minerals. But a global alliance opposed to deep-sea mining, and spearheaded by France, only attracted four new members during the summit, taking the total to 37 nations. Poivre d'Arvor said the alliance would flatly reject any call at a meeting of the International Seabed Authority next month to permit deep-sea exploration. The authority, backed by the UN, has 169 member states. - Overfishing - Many nations took the opportunity to unveil plans to create vast new marine protected areas and restrict bottom trawling, which was recently captured in grisly detail in a new David Attenborough documentary. Activists had wanted countries to go further, advocating for a total ban on the destructive fishing method that sees heavy nets dragged across the ocean floor. - Missing millions - Some 8.7 billion euros ($10 billion) was committed over the next five years by philanthropists and private investors for the sustainable development of ocean economies. But pledges were less forthcoming from wealthy governments, with France announcing two million euros for climate adaptation in Pacific Island nations. - Flat finish - The summit will close later Friday with a joint political statement, negotiated over many months between nations, that critics slammed for omitting any reference to fossil fuels -- the key driver of ocean warming. Laurence Tubiana, CEO at the European Climate Foundation, said Nice showed global cooperation was still possible "but let's not confuse signatures with solutions". "No communique ever cooled a marine heatwave," she said. Former US special climate envoy John Kerry, who was present in Nice, said in a statement that it was impossible to "protect the ocean without confronting the biggest root cause bringing it to the breaking point: the pollution from unabated fossil fuels pumped into the atmosphere". By Nick Perry And Antoine Agasse
