World leaders head to France for UN summit on ocean threats
A protester takes part in the Blue March ahead of the United Nations Ocean Conference in France on June 7. PHOTO: AFP
World leaders head to France for UN summit on ocean threats
NICE, France - World leaders descend on the French Riviera on June 8 ahead of a high-level summit to tackle a deepening crisis in the oceans driven by overfishing, climate change and pollution.
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 who depend on them.
The UN Ocean Conference 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.
About 50 heads of state and government are expected to attend, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his Argentine counterpart Javier Milei.
On June 8, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to sail to Nice from Monaco, where he is attending a related event aimed at raising private capital for ocean conservation.
He will be joined on the shimmering Mediterranean Sea by other vessels in a colourful maritime parade, before touring an exhibition centre on land transformed into the cavernous belly of a whale.
In the evening, Mr Macron will host leaders for a dinner of Mediterranean fish ahead of the summit's formal opening on June 9.
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.
Political will
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 per cent 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.
So far, only around eight per cent 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 per cent goal.
In a boost this week, Samoa declared 30 per cent 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.
On June 7, Mr 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.
On June 8, an expert scientific panel will hand Mr Macron a list of recommendations for leaders at the summit, including pausing seabed exploration when so little is known about the deep oceans. AFP
Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
31 minutes ago
- Straits Times
S'pore to send delegation led by Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan to UN Ocean Conference
Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan will deliver Singapore's national statement on the Nice Ocean Action Plan at the conference. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH – Singapore will be sending a delegation led by Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan to the UN Ocean Conference, which will be held from June 9 to 13 in Nice, France. The Republic will serve as one of the vice-presidents of the conference, which supports the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement on June 8. Jointly hosted by France and Costa Rica, the summit convenes high-level representatives from governments, international and regional organisations and civil society. Its aim is for countries to adopt an 'action-oriented and inter-governmentally agreed declaration', dubbed the Nice Ocean Action Plan, according to the United Nations. MFA said in the statement – coincidentally issued on World Ocean Day – that Dr Balakrishnan will deliver Singapore's national statement on the topic at the conference. He will also speak on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (Aosis) at an event on scientific cooperation for ocean health. Aosis is a grouping of 39 small island and low-lying coastal developing states including Singapore, Palau, the Maldives and Belize. The bloc is vocal at multilateral environmental events, such as the UN climate change conferences, often highlighting the urgency of climate action to stave off the rising seas that threaten to overwhelm them. Dr Balakrishnan's schedule will include delivering a statement on behalf of Asean at a panel on sustainable maritime transport and coastal resilience; attending a high-level event on biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions; and meeting with the Pacific Small Island Developing States over lunch. In addition, he will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts on the sidelines of the conference, MFA said. A healthy ocean is critical for human health and well-being. Other than being a source of seafood, recreation and a key transportation medium, the ocean also generates 50 per cent of the oxygen people need, absorbs 25 per cent of all carbon dioxide emissions, and captures 90 per cent of the excess heat generated by these emissions. Maritime transport moves more than 80 per cent of goods traded worldwide. The UN Ocean Conference is in its third iteration, after earlier editions were held in 2017 and 2022. The 2025 conference comes at a pivotal movement for ocean health, as it is the first ocean conference to be held since the adoption of other multilateral environmental treaties, which Singapore has also signed. These include the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework, adopted in 2022 with the aim of stopping, even reversing, nature loss, as well as the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, which Singapore helped to broker. The conference also comes amid ongoing international negotiations to curb plastic pollution. In 2023, Mrs Rena Lee, Singapore's Ambassador for Oceans and Law of the Sea Issues and Special Envoy of the Minister for Foreign Affairs, led talks that eventually resulted in the high seas treaty , a historic agreement that lays the groundwork for international collaboration to protect the areas outside of national jurisdictions. Also known as the Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, it was a treaty more than 15 years in the making, including over four years of formal talks. MFA said Dr Balakrishnan will attend the conference in Nice from June 9 to 12, and visit Paris from June 12 to 13. In Paris, he will be guest of honour at a reception commemorating the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and France. Audrey Tan is an assistant news editor overseeing sustainability coverage. She has reported on the environment for more than a decade and hosts the Green Pulse podcast series. Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump rewarding loyalists with pardon spree
US President Donald Trump is doling out pardons 'that look like they're almost quid pro quo for financial donations', said a law professor. PHOTO: REUTERS WASHINGTON - Reality TV stars. Former lawmakers. A sheriff. A nursing home executive. A drug kingpin. What do they have in common? They are among the Americans convicted of crimes who have received pardons from President Donald Trump since he took office in January. And while US presidents have doled out questionable pardons in the past, Mr Trump is doing so 'in a bigger, more aggressive way with sort of no sense of shame,' said Professor Kermit Roosevelt, a law professor at the University of Pennsylvania. 'The pardon power has always been a little bit problematic because it's this completely unconstrained power that the president has,' Professor Roosevelt told AFP. 'Most presidents have issued at least some pardons where people look at them and they say: 'This seems to be self-serving' or 'This seems to be corrupt in some way.'' But Mr Trump is doling out pardons 'that look like they're almost quid pro quo for financial donations,' Professor Roosevelt said. Among those receiving a pardon was Mr Paul Walczak, a nursing home executive convicted of tax crimes and whose mother attended a US$1-million-per-plate (S$1.28 million) fund-raising dinner at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago home in April. Other beneficiaries of Trump pardons include reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were serving lengthy prison sentences for bank fraud and tax evasion. Their daughter, Ms Savannah, is a prominent Trump supporter and gave a speech at 2024's Republican National Convention. More than half a dozen former Republican lawmakers convicted of various crimes have also received pardons, along with a Virginia sheriff sentenced to 10 years in prison for taking US$75,000 in bribes. On his first day in office, Mr Trump pardoned more than 1,500 supporters who stormed the US Capitol on Jan 6, 2021 as they sought to prevent congressional certification of Democrat Joe Biden's 2020 election victory. The next day, Mr Trump pardoned Mr Ross Ulbricht, who had been serving a life sentence for running the 'Silk Road' online marketplace that facilitated millions of dollars of drug sales. 'Just another deal' Ms Barbara McQuade, a former prosecutor who now teaches law at the University of Michigan, said Mr Trump is not the first president to be accused of 'allowing improper factors to influence their pardon decisions'. Former US president Gerald Ford's pardon of Richard Nixon, Mr Bill Clinton's pardon of a commodities trader whose wife was a major Democratic donor and Biden's pardon of his son, Mr Hunter, and other family members all drew some criticism. '(But) Trump is in a class by himself in both scope and shamelessness,' Ms McQuade said in a Bloomberg opinion column. 'To him, pardons are just another deal. 'As long as a defendant can provide something of value in return, no crime seems too serious,' she said. Democratic lawmaker Jamie Raskin, in a letter to Mr Ed Martin, Mr Trump's pardon attorney at the Justice Department, asked what criteria are being used to recommend pardons. 'It at least appears that you are using the Office of the Pardon Attorney to dole out pardons as favours to the President's loyal political followers and most generous donors,' Mr Raskin wrote. Mr Martin for his part has made no secret of the partisan nature of the pardons recommended by his office. 'No Maga left behind,' Mr Martin said on X after the pardon of the bribe-taking Virginia sheriff, a reference to Mr Trump's 'Make America Great Again' slogan. Professor Lee Kovarsky, a University of Texas law professor, said Mr Trump's 'pardon spree' opens up a 'menacing new frontier of presidential power' that he calls 'patronage pardoning'. By reducing the penalty for misconduct, Mr Trump is making a 'public commitment to protect and reward loyalism, however criminal,' Professor Kovarsky said in a New York Times opinion piece. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Restive Indian state Manipur orders curfew after fresh violence
The latest violence was triggered on June 7 after reports of the arrest of five members of Arambai Tenggol, a radical Meitei group. PHOTO: AFP Imphal, India - An Indian state riven by ethnic tensions imposed an internet shutdown and curfew after protesters clashed with security forces over the arrest of some members of a radical group, police said on June 8. Manipur in India's north-east has been rocked by periodic clashes for more than two years between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community that have killed more than 250 people. The latest violence was triggered on June 7 after reports of the arrest of five members, including a commander, of Arambai Tenggol, a radical Meitei group. Incensed mobs demanding their release stormed a police post, set fire to a bus and blocked roads in parts of the state capital Imphal. Manipur police announced a curfew in five districts, including Imphal West and Bishnupur, due to the 'developing law and order situation'. 'Prohibitory orders have been issued by District Magistrates. Citizens are requested to cooperate with the orders,' the police said in a statement. Arambai Tenggol, which is alleged to have orchestrated the violence against the Kuki community, has also announced a 10-day shutdown in the valley districts. The state's home ministry has ordered all internet and mobile data services in volatile districts to be shut off for five days in order to bring the latest unrest under control. Internet services were shut down for months in Manipur during the initial outbreak of violence in 2023, which displaced around 60,000 people from their homes according to government figures. Thousands of the state's residents are still unable to return home owing to ongoing tensions. Long-standing tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities revolve around competition for land and public jobs. Rights activists have accused local leaders of exacerbating ethnic divisions for political gain. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
