UN Aims To Transform Urgency Into Action At Nice Ocean Conference
27 May 2025
The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) from 9-13 June will bring together Heads of State, scientists, civil society and business leaders around a single goal: to halt the silent collapse of the planet's largest – and arguably most vital – ecosystem.
The ocean is suffocating due to rising temperatures, rampant acidification, erosion of biodiversity, plastic invasion, predatory fishing.
'A state of emergency'
' Our planet's life support system is in a state of emergency,' said Li Junhua, head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Secretary-General of the upcoming summit.
He insisted that there is still time to change course.
' The future of the ocean is not predetermined. It will be shaped by the decisions and actions that we are making now,' Mr. Li said on Tuesday during a press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York.
In the eyes of the senior official, UNOC 3 'will not be just another routine gathering.'
'We hope that it proves to be the pivotal opportunity to accelerate action and mobilize all stakeholders across the sectors and borders.'
World-class conference
More than 50 world leaders are expected on the Côte d'Azur, alongside 1,500 delegates from nearly 200 countries.
The programme includes 10 plenary meetings, 10 thematic roundtables, a blue zone reserved for official delegations, and a series of parallel forums during five days of negotiations.
For France, which is co-hosting the conference alongside Costa Rica, the challenge is clear: to make Nice a historic milestone.
'This is an emergency,' declared Jérôme Bonnafont, Permanent Representative of France to the UN, during the press conference.
'An ecological emergency: we are witnessing the deterioration of the quality of the oceans as an environment, as a reservoir of biodiversity, as a carbon sink.'
France hopes to make the conference a turning point and the goal 'is to produce a Nice agreement that is pro-oceans, as the Paris Agreement 10 years ago now was for the climate.'
This agreement will take the form of a Nice Action Plan for the Ocean, a 'concise action-oriented declaration,' according to Mr. Li, accompanied by renewed voluntary commitments.
Three milestones
Three events will prepare the ground for UNOC 3.
The One Ocean Science Congress, from 4-6 June, will bring together several thousand researchers. The Summit on Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience to be held the following day will explore responses to rising sea levels. Finally, the Blue Economy Finance Forum, on 7-8 June in Monaco, will mobilize investors and policymakers.
For Costa Rican Ambassador Maritza Chan Valverde, there is no more time for procrastination.
' We're expecting concrete commitments with clear timelines, budgets and accountability mechanisms. What is different this time around, zero rhetoric, maximum results,' she said.
'Transform ambition into action'
The conference's theme Accelerating Action and Mobilizing All Stakeholders to Conserve and Sustainably Use the Ocean will address several topics, ranging from sustainable fishing to marine pollution and the interactions between climate and biodiversity.
' This is our moment to transform ambition into action,' Mr. Li concluded, calling for governments, businesses, scientists, and civil society to come together in a common spirit.
He also praised the 'visionary leadership' of France and Costa Rica, without whom this large-scale mobilization would not have been possible.
A slogan promoted by Costa Rica seems to sum up the spirit of the summit: 'Five days. One ocean. One unique opportunity.'
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Scoop
2 days ago
- Scoop
UN Aims To Transform Urgency Into Action At Nice Ocean Conference
27 May 2025 The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC 3) from 9-13 June will bring together Heads of State, scientists, civil society and business leaders around a single goal: to halt the silent collapse of the planet's largest – and arguably most vital – ecosystem. The ocean is suffocating due to rising temperatures, rampant acidification, erosion of biodiversity, plastic invasion, predatory fishing. 'A state of emergency' ' Our planet's life support system is in a state of emergency,' said Li Junhua, head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) and the Secretary-General of the upcoming summit. He insisted that there is still time to change course. ' The future of the ocean is not predetermined. It will be shaped by the decisions and actions that we are making now,' Mr. Li said on Tuesday during a press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York. In the eyes of the senior official, UNOC 3 'will not be just another routine gathering.' 'We hope that it proves to be the pivotal opportunity to accelerate action and mobilize all stakeholders across the sectors and borders.' World-class conference More than 50 world leaders are expected on the Côte d'Azur, alongside 1,500 delegates from nearly 200 countries. The programme includes 10 plenary meetings, 10 thematic roundtables, a blue zone reserved for official delegations, and a series of parallel forums during five days of negotiations. For France, which is co-hosting the conference alongside Costa Rica, the challenge is clear: to make Nice a historic milestone. 'This is an emergency,' declared Jérôme Bonnafont, Permanent Representative of France to the UN, during the press conference. 'An ecological emergency: we are witnessing the deterioration of the quality of the oceans as an environment, as a reservoir of biodiversity, as a carbon sink.' France hopes to make the conference a turning point and the goal 'is to produce a Nice agreement that is pro-oceans, as the Paris Agreement 10 years ago now was for the climate.' This agreement will take the form of a Nice Action Plan for the Ocean, a 'concise action-oriented declaration,' according to Mr. Li, accompanied by renewed voluntary commitments. Three milestones Three events will prepare the ground for UNOC 3. The One Ocean Science Congress, from 4-6 June, will bring together several thousand researchers. The Summit on Ocean Rise and Coastal Resilience to be held the following day will explore responses to rising sea levels. Finally, the Blue Economy Finance Forum, on 7-8 June in Monaco, will mobilize investors and policymakers. For Costa Rican Ambassador Maritza Chan Valverde, there is no more time for procrastination. ' We're expecting concrete commitments with clear timelines, budgets and accountability mechanisms. What is different this time around, zero rhetoric, maximum results,' she said. 'Transform ambition into action' The conference's theme Accelerating Action and Mobilizing All Stakeholders to Conserve and Sustainably Use the Ocean will address several topics, ranging from sustainable fishing to marine pollution and the interactions between climate and biodiversity. ' This is our moment to transform ambition into action,' Mr. Li concluded, calling for governments, businesses, scientists, and civil society to come together in a common spirit. He also praised the 'visionary leadership' of France and Costa Rica, without whom this large-scale mobilization would not have been possible. A slogan promoted by Costa Rica seems to sum up the spirit of the summit: 'Five days. One ocean. One unique opportunity.'
RNZ News
4 days ago
- RNZ News
Climate target failure would bring overseas scrutiny, government warned
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts has been warned that NZ's shortfall to meeting its climate targets was large when compared with other countries. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The government was warned to expect overseas scrutiny over a huge shortfall in plans for meeting the country's international climate target. The 84 million-tonne gap is because the current government has not committed to buying carbon credits from overseas. Although Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he is committed to meeting the target of cutting emissions by 50 percent by 2030, the country is currently more than a whole year's worth of emissions short of that. This was highlighted late last year, when New Zealand was preparing its first-ever report on its progress at meeting its Paris Agreement commitments. Environment officials warned Climate Change Minister Simon Watts that countries were expected to explain how they would close their emissions gaps. New Zealand had not announced a plan then, and still has not. Its shortfall was also large when compared with other countries, officials told Watts. They said this was "an area where New Zealand can expect to receive some scrutiny". They also presented Watts with a list of decisions by previous Cabinets dating back to 2015, agreeing to use offshore carbon credits. They invited him to get the current Cabinet to either confirm this or make a different decision - however it's not clear how that worked out. The briefing was released to RNZ under the Official Information Act. Previous governments planned to meet the target with a mix of savings at home and buying offshore climate action, which could involve paying for projects in a lower-income country such as replacing a coal station with renewable power or ditching diesel generators for solar. Doing the work overseas could cost less than it would in New Zealand, successive governments were told. If the government wanted to meet the target fully by cutting emissions in New Zealand, it would need to - in the next four years - fully electrify all road transport, eliminate all industrial energy emissions, and eliminate half of all agricultural emissions, or other equivalent actions. The Climate Change Commission told the government attempting to do this would be "costly and disruptive" and have "severe social and economic consequences" - as well as not being feasible. But the coalition has proven wary of committing to the only remaining option, offshore purchases, despite saying it was committed to the Paris Agreement. When New Zealand's progress report was published for other countries to read in December, it did not explain where the missing 84 million tonnes would come from . It said New Zealand was exploring "options for international cooperation". Work on the rules and options has been underway since the previous government. While Budget 2025 allocated further funding for this exploratory work, it didn't allocate anything for purchases. The issue was highlighted again in January 2025, in talking points foreign affairs officials posted overseas, which were again released to RNZ under the Official Information Act. The notes for diplomats acknowledge New Zealand has a shortfall and offer the same statement the government made in the progress report, that a "concerted effort was underway to establish options for future offshore purchasing." Other documents show conflicting statements by ministers have led to confusion at the Climate Change Commission, and contributed to Treasury deciding that the government might still decide not to purchase anything. Treasury has put the cost of the purchases at $3-24 billion, though some experts put the likely cost at the lower end, based on deals other countries have struck. In early September 2024, Watts told a conference that spending billions on overseas purchases was "not realistic", but later appeared to backtrack and acknowledge there was no way to meet the 2030 target without overseas help and that successive governments had always planned to do this. In December 2024, Agriculture Minister Todd McClay told Morning Report New Zealand would not be spending money offshore. "No, we don't have to go and buy credits overseas to meet our obligations and we're working very hard to make sure we don't. "The idea of sending billions overseas is not palatable to anybody in New Zealand," McClay said. Luxon punted questions on McClay's statements to Watts. At the time, Watts gave RNZ a statement saying: "The government currently has no formal plans to purchase offshore. However, we are realistic about the need to cooperate with other countries and are considering all options." "Considering all options" was the last official word from the government. However coalition partner New Zealand First has refused to say if it would support purchases and is openly hostile to the Paris Agreement target. In March this year New Zealand first leader and deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters told RNZ nobody knew why National had signed up to the Paris Agreement or what the target was. The lack of agreement created confusion among those advising the government. A slide from a Climate Change Commission PowerPoint presentation to its Board in on Emission Trading Scheme settings on 24 September 2024 said: "Recent public comments by ministers raised some questions for us." "We are seeking further information from Ministry for the Environment officials to clarify the government's plans for obtaining offshore mitigation to meet (the 2030 target)." The commission needed to clarify whether offshore purchases were still on the table, because otherwise it would need to change its recommendations on the level of carbon cuts the government should make here using the Emission Trading Scheme, in order to remain compliant. The commission noted that making all the cuts here would be "costly and disruptive" and also not possible using only the country's main climate tool of the Emissions Trading Scheme, which covers less than half the country's greenhouse gas emissions. The lack of clear statements also affected Treasury's decision, to leave the cost of buying offsets off the government's books. Treasury documents say it decided not to book the cost as a liability, saying ministers have never made a public statement strong enough to suggest the government "will accept a responsibility to pay for emissions to meet its targets". "In essence, our judgement is that the government has not been sufficiently specific in its plans to achieve the [2030 target] that it is valid to expect that the government has little or no realistic alternative." Treasury notes the cost of meeting the climate target using overseas purchases as a fiscal risk in its notes to the government's accounts, which is distinct from including it as a liability that has to be accounted for. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday
Scoop
22-05-2025
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Statement On 2025 Budget By Lawyers For Climate Action
Press Release – Lawyers for Climate Action The budget does not make the investments required to meet our 2030 Paris Agreement target. The government has accepted that there is an 84 million tonne CO2-e gap between what our domestic emissions reductions will achieve and what our 2030 target requires. The Government has today announced its 2025 budget. 'This is not a budget that will set Aotearoa New Zealand up to become a thriving low-emissions economy. It is distinctly unambitious and doesn't treat climate change as a priority', says Jessica Palairet, Executive Director at Lawyers for Climate Action NZ. 'This is another lost opportunity for New Zealand.' 'The transition to a low-emissions economy is an opportunity for New Zealand to improve its standard of living with a cheaper and more secure energy system powered by renewables, better public and active transport options, and to get ahead of climate risks by building our resilience and supporting adaptation in our most vulnerable communities.' 'This budget misses the mark. Rather than taking advantage of the opportunities the low-emissions transition presents, the budget embraces fossil fuels – providing $200M for the Government to invest in new gas fields. As many of our international peers move away from fossil fuels, we're doing the opposite.' And what about our Paris Agreement commitments? 'The budget does not make the investments required to meet our 2030 Paris Agreement target. The government has accepted that there is an 84 million tonne CO2-e gap between what our domestic emissions reductions will achieve and what our 2030 target requires. The 2025 Budget Economic and Fiscal Update acknowledges that 'it is likely that meeting this target would involve significant costs, starting within the current fiscal forecast period'.' 'Without allocating any money to filling that gap, it is hard to believe the Government is serious about meeting our international climate commitments', says Palairet. 'Failing to take active steps towards meeting its international climate obligations risks placing New Zealand in breach of its Free Trade Agreements with the European Union and the United Kingdom, possibly opening New Zealand up to the risk of trade sanctions.' 'The Government has also reduced the funding New Zealand provides to support our Pacific partners with climate finance, leaving a $100M per year gap. The investment provided under this budget falls well short of our commitment under the Paris Agreement, made worse by the fact that the funding tagged for international development cooperation is 'not exclusively focused on meeting climate finance objectives.' 'This budget was a missed opportunity. We call on the Government to properly consider climate opportunities and risks, and set New Zealand up for success into the future'. Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Inc is an incorporated society committed to using the law to drive action on climate change. We have no vested interest other than seeing New Zealand meaningfully contribute to the goals of the Paris Agreement in light of the science of climate change as expressed by the IPCC. More information about LCANZI can be found on our website:
