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