At Nice's UN Ocean Conference, the international community is rallying to save the seas

LeMonde

a day ago

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.