World leaders began gathering in Nice on the French Riviera on Sunday ahead of a United Nations summit to tackle a deepening crisis in the oceans driven by overfishing, climate change and pollution. Ahead of the opening, French President Emmanuel Macron told a blue finance forum in Monaco that the world has "a duty to mobilise".
The United Nations says oceans face an "emergency" and leaders gathering in Nice will be under pressure to commit much-needed money and stronger protections for the ailing seas and the people that depend on them.
The UN Ocean Conference (Unoc-3), hosted jointly by France and Costa Rica, must try to turn a corner as nations feud over deep-sea mining, plastic litter and exploitative fishing, against a backdrop of wider geopolitical tensions.
"We have a duty to mobilise because the science is clear and the facts are there," declared Macron on Sunday, during a visit to Monaco, at the closing of a forum on the blue economy and finance.
"There is the possibility of sustainable fishing. There is the possibility of sustainable maritime transport. There is the possibility of sustainable tourism," Macron insisted.
Planet in danger
"The planet can no longer tolerate broken promises," warned Brazilian President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva, whose country will host the UN environment summit Cop30 in November.
"Either we act, or the planet is in danger," he insisted.
Lula da Silva is one of the more than 50 heads of state to attend the Nice summit, alongside Macron and his counterpart from Costa Rica Rodrigo Chaves Robles.
As part of Sunday's activities, Macron also witnessed a maritime parade, organised as part of the World Oceans Day celebrations and visited the Nice Exhibition Center, transformed into the belly of a whale.
Researchers presented him with the recommendations of the scientific conference that preceded the Nice summit, as well as the new Starfish barometer, which measures the state of the ocean.
In the evening, Macron was to host leaders for a dinner of Mediterranean fish ahead of the summit's formal opening on Monday.
US absent
Peaceful demonstrations are expected over the five-day event and France has deployed 5,000 police to the heritage-listed city where scientists, business leaders and environmental activists are also attending in big numbers.
A strong turnout is also expected from Pacific Island nations, whose delegations will demand greater financial assistance to fight the rising seas, marine trash and plunder of fisheries that threatens their very survival.
The United States under President Donald Trump – whose recent push to fast-track seabed mining in international waters sparked global outrage – is not expected to send a delegation.
Ocean’s survival hinges on finding the billions needed to save it
Conservationists have warned the summit – which will not produce a legally binding agreement – risks being a talk fest unless leaders come armed with concrete proposals for restoring marine health.
Chief among these is securing the missing finance to get anywhere near protecting 30 percent of the world's oceans by 2030, a globally agreed target.
"We've created this sort of myth that governments don't have money for ocean conservation," Brian O'Donnell, director of Campaign for Nature, told reporters.
"There is money. There is not political will," he said.
Samoa leads the way
So far, only around eight percent of oceans are designated marine conservation zones and even less are considered truly protected.
Greenpeace says at this rate, it could take another 82 years to reach the 30 percent goal.
In a boost this week, Samoa declared 30 percent of its national waters under protection with the creation of nine new marine parks.
Conservationists hope others at Nice follow suit.
"All eyes should be on the many Pacific leaders attending... Their ambition and dedication to ocean protection can serve as inspiration to all countries," said Kevin Chand from the nonprofit group Pristine Seas.
There has also been a concerted push for nations, including France, to ban bottom trawling – a destructive fishing method that indiscriminately scrapes the ocean floor.
French NGOs slam 'lack of ambition' after Macron's bottom trawling announcement
On Saturday, Macron told the Ouest-France newspaper that bottom trawling would be restricted in some national marine protected areas.
Inching closer toward the numbers required to ratify a global treaty on harmful fishing subsidies, and another on high seas protection, will also be a summit priority.
France is spearheading a separate push in Nice to build support for a moratorium on deep-sea mining ahead of a closely-watched meeting of the International Seabed Authority in July.
(with AFP)
