UN leaders have reached a ‘breakthrough’ historic agreement on protecting marine biodiversity in international waters following discussions spanning nearly 20 years.
Secretary-General António Guterres stated that the deal was a victory for ‘global efforts to counter the destructive trends facing ocean health.’
Talks initially started in 2004 with the purpose of addressing the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
Protecting the ocean is a key element of the global response to climate change. absorbing about one-quarter of all carbon dioxide emissions to date and 90% of the heat generated by greenhouse gas emissions trapped in the Earth’s system. This has caused significant changes, including ocean warming, acidification, deoxygenation and sea level rise, with severe impacts on ocean and coastal life and the lives and livelihoods of coastal communities. (United Nations Climate Change)
