UN High Seas Treaty postponed until further negotiations – TVP World

168 world governments had been negotiating the details of a new UN High Seas Treaty to safeguard the high seas and marine life, during a two-week session in New York, however, they could not come to an agreement in the end.

The negotiations focused on four key areas:

Marine protected areas

Environmental impact assessments

Providing finance and capacity building to developing countries

Sharing of marine genetic resources

Fishing catch limitations, shipping lane routes, and exploratory activities like deep-sea mining, which could be hazardous to marine life, would all be affected by the new treaty.

The high seas, which are international waterways where all nations have the right to fish, ship, and conduct research, were created by this agreement.

The growing hazards of climate change, overfishing, and shipping traffic pose a threat to marine species that exist outside of the 1.2 percent of protected areas.

Prior to the summit, more than 70 nations, including the UK, had previously decided to safeguard 30 percent of the worlds seas.

According to research published earlier this year and funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 10 to 15 percent of marine species are already on the verge of extinction.

Between now and January, many international meetings on numerous topics are planned, including the UN General Assembly meeting and the COP27 annual climate conference.

Even if the treaty is signed, further work to protect the high seas will still need to be done.

source:BBC

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UN High Seas Treaty postponed until further negotiations - TVP World