
At Nice's UN Ocean Conference, the international community is rallying to save the seas
In 1952, Anita Conti set sail from Fécamp in northern France with Newfoundland fishermen aboard the trawler BOIS-ROSÉ. In her major work, Racleurs d'océans (Ocean Scrapers), the oceanography pioneer chronicled the daily lives of sailors, already describing the deep blue as a "vulnerable" mass, "plundered in a savage manner" − a giant that "can no longer defend itself." 73 years later, will the 56 heads of state or government gathering in Nice, southern France, from June 9 to 13 for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) find a way forward to better protect the liquid heart of the blue planet? "This is a summit of combat, with countries that believe in it and want to commit, a summit that allows island countries to make their voices heard and that involves scientists," said Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, special envoy of French President Emmanuel Macron for the conference. "An ocean without rules is a planet without a future."
The UNOC is opening with a clear statement: The ocean is suffering. It has been battered by global warming, which acidified the seas and disrupted ecosystems. Its biodiversity has suffered from pollution originating on land – plastic, antibiotics and pesticides inevitably end up flowing into the ocean. Fishing − both legal and illegal − has put it under further pressure. The ocean also faces threats from the predatory ambitions of major powers, especially Vladimir Putin's Russia and Donald Trump's United States, which seek to exploit the seabed. Gathered from June 3 to 6 at the One Ocean Science Congress, scientists from around the world once again warned governments. "Ecosystems are malfunctioning – we're seeing some populations explode while others suddenly vanish," said Didier Gascuel, a marine biology specialist. "All the indicators are deteriorating," added Marina Lévy, ocean adviser to the president of the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development.
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He also tied the ban to a terrorist attack in Colorado, which wounded a dozen people, saying it underscored the dangers posed by visitors who overstay visas in the US. The man charged in the incident is from Eygpt, a country not included in Trump's list. French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday slammed the withdrawal of climate funding by the US, saying it was time to reach an agreement for the entire planet. Macron said this on the eve of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference and amid rising pressure for nations to turn decades of promises into real protection for the sea. Speaking to scientists at one of the sideline forums of the UN conference, the French president said: 'Unfortunately, if we are more or less clear-headed, we are at a time when international science, which still depends a lot on American funding, is withdrawing this funding, where we have a lot of people who are questioning multilateralism and these agencies". 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It also imposes stricter measures on Venezuelan nationals, who have faced increased pressure under the Trump administration in recent months — including abrupt deportations to a detention facility in El Salvador which have ignited a legal battle. The measure has been denounced by groups that provide aid and resettlement help to refugees. 'This policy is not about national security — it is about sowing division and vilifying communities that are seeking safety and opportunity in the United States,' Abby Maxman, president of Oxfam America, said. Trump has justified the ban by claiming that some countries had "deficient' screening for passports and other public documents or have historically refused to take back their own citizens. The nationals in the countries included on the list impose "terrorism-related' and 'public-safety' risks, as well as risks of overstaying their visas. 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More than 50 world leaders are expected to attend the UN conference this week, with a major focus of the weeklong summit being a push to ratify the High Seas Treaty, which would enable conservation in international waters. Thousands of delegates, including scientists and environmental advocates, began to arrive in Nice on Sunday for the conference that aims to debate plans to confront growing threats to the ocean and the need to transform pledges into protection. The United Nations has called the threats a global emergency facing the world's oceans as they confront rising temperatures, plastic pollution choking marine life, and relentless overexploitation of fish and other resources.