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UN treaty aims to protect international waters and their inhabitants

UN treaty aims to protect international waters and their inhabitants

CBC2 days ago

World leaders, scientists gather in France for UN Ocean Conference
12 hours ago
Duration 1:57
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UN Secretary General António Guterres on Monday urged world leaders to ratify a treaty that would allow nations to establish protected marine areas in international waters, warning that human activity was destroying ocean ecosystems.
Speaking at the opening of the third UN Ocean Conference in Nice, Guterres cautioned that illegal fishing, plastic pollution and rising sea temperatures threatened delicate ecosystems and the people who depend on them.
"The ocean is the ultimate shared resource. But we are failing it," Guterres said, citing collapsing fish stocks, rising sea levels and ocean acidification.
Oceans also provide a vital buffer against climate change, by absorbing around 30 per cent of planet-heating CO2 emissions. But as the oceans heat up, hotter waters are destroying marine ecosystems and threatening the oceans' ability to absorb CO2.
WATCH | The last time the Earth was this hot, here's what the ocean did:
The last time the Earth was this hot — here's what the ocean did
18 days ago
Duration 1:24
Sea levels will rise — by metres, not centimetres — and the time to prepare is now. Drawing on ancient clues and the latest science, Johanna Wagstaffe explains what Earth's past reveals about our coastal future — and why smart planning today could protect millions in the decades and centuries to come.
"These are symptoms of a system in crisis — and they are feeding off each other. Unravelling food chains. Destroying livelihoods. Deepening insecurity," said Guterres.
The High Seas Treaty, adopted in 2023, would permit countries to establish marine parks in international waters, which cover nearly two-thirds of the ocean and are largely unregulated.
So far, only an estimated one per cent of international waters, known as the "high seas," have been protected.
The drive for nations to turn years of promises into meaningful protection for the oceans comes as President Donald Trump pulls the United States and its money out of climate projects, and as some European governments weaken green policy commitments as they seek to support anemic economies and fend off nationalists.
U.S. won't ratify treaty — and isn't bound by it
The United States has not yet ratified the treaty and will not do so during the conference, said Rebecca Hubbard, director of The High Seas Alliance.
"If they don't ratify, they are not bound by it," she said. "The implementation will take years, but it is critical we start now and we won't let the U.S. absence stop that from happening."
WATCH | Scientists want a ban on deep-sea mining. Trump wants to fast-track it:
Scientists want a ban on deep-sea mining. Trump wants to fast-track it
5 days ago
Duration 1:59
A group of leading ocean and climate scientists, including Canadians, is calling for a ban on deep-sea mining just as U.S. President Donald Trump moves to fast-track undersea mining approvals.
French President Emmanuel Macron, the conference's co-host, told delegates that 50 countries had now ratified the treaty and that another 15 had promised to do so.
The treaty will only come into force once 60 countries ratify it. Macron's foreign minister said he expected that would happen before the end of the year.
The United States has not sent a high-level delegation to the conference.
"It's not a surprise; we know the American administration's position on these issues," Macron told reporters late on Sunday.

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Major projects will be slowed by court challenges if rights are violated: B.C. chief
Major projects will be slowed by court challenges if rights are violated: B.C. chief

Toronto Star

timean hour ago

  • Toronto Star

Major projects will be slowed by court challenges if rights are violated: B.C. chief

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Poll suggests half of Canadians believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza
Poll suggests half of Canadians believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

Toronto Star

time2 hours ago

  • Toronto Star

Poll suggests half of Canadians believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza

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Last month, an open letter from Prime Minister Mark Carney, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron condemned Israeli military operations in Gaza and called the level of suffering in the territory 'intolerable.' The letter threatened concrete actions if the Israeli government did not allow more food aid into Gaza and end its military operations there. It also called on Hamas to release its remaining hostages. In response to the genocide question, 38 per cent of Americans polled said they agree Israel is committing genocide, while 26 per cent said they disagree and 36 per cent said they don't know. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Supporters of the Democrats - 52 per cent - and Americans under the age of 35 - 53 per cent - were the most likely to call the situation in Gaza a genocide. More than half of Canadians, 54 per cent, said they don't follow news about the Middle East or the current conflict in the Gaza Strip. 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Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.

The U.S. and China say they have agreed on a framework to resolve their trade disputes
The U.S. and China say they have agreed on a framework to resolve their trade disputes

CTV News

time7 hours ago

  • CTV News

The U.S. and China say they have agreed on a framework to resolve their trade disputes

A general view of the Lancaster House, where the trade talks between the U.S. and China are taking place is seen, in London, Monday, June 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung) LONDON — Senior U.S. and Chinese negotiators have agreed on a framework to get their trade negotiations back on track after a series of disputes that threatened to derail them, both sides have said. The announcement came at the end of two days of talks in the British capital that wrapped up late Tuesday. The meetings appeared to focus on finding a way to resolve disputes over mineral and technology exports that had shaken a fragile truce on trade reached in Geneva last month. It's not clear whether any progress was made on the more fundamental differences over China's sizeable trade surplus with the United States. 'First we had to get sort of the negativity out and now we can go forward,' U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters after the meetings. Asian stock markets rose Wednesday after the agreement was announced. The talks followed a phone call between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping last week to try to calm the waters. Li Chenggang, a vice minister of commerce and China's international trade representative, said the two sides had agreed in principle on a framework for implementing the consensus reached on the phone call and at the talks on Geneva, the official Xinhua News Agency said. Further details, including any plans for a potential next round of talks, were not immediately available. Li and Wang Wentao, China's commerce minister, were part of the delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng. They met with Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at Lancaster House, a 200-year-old mansion near Buckingham Palace. Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator, said the disputes had frittered away 30 of the 90 days the two sides have to try to resolve their disputes. They agreed in Geneva to a 90-day suspension of most of the 100%-plus tariffs they had imposed on each other in an escalating trade war that sparked fears of recession. The World Bank, citing a rise in trade barriers, cut its projections Tuesday for U.S. and global economic growth this year. 'The U.S. and China lost valuable time in restoring their Geneva agreements,' said Cutler, now vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute. 'Now, only sixty days remain to address issues of concern, including unfair trade practices, excess capacity, transshipment and fentanyl.' Since the Geneva talks, the U.S. and China have exchanged angry words over advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, visas for Chinese students at American universities and rare earth minerals that are vital to carmakers and other industries. China, the world's biggest producer of rare earths, has signaled it may speed up the issuing of export licenses for the elements. Beijing, in turn, wants the U.S. to lift restrictions on Chinese access to the technology used to make advanced semiconductors. Lutnick said that resolving the rare earths issue is a fundamental part of the agreed-upon framework, and that the U.S. will remove measures it had imposed in response. He did not specify which measures. 'When they approve the licenses, then you should expect that our export implementation will come down as well,' he said. Cutler said it would be unprecedented for the U.S. to negotiate on its export controls, which she described as an irritant that China has been raising for nearly 20 years. 'By doing so, the U.S. has opened a door for China to insist on adding export controls to future negotiating agendas,' she said. In Washington, a federal appeals court agreed Tuesday to let the government keep collecting tariffs that Trump has imposed not just on China but also on other countries worldwide while the administration appeals a ruling against his signature trade policy. Trump said earlier that he wants to 'open up China,' the world's dominant manufacturer, to U.S. products. 'If we don't open up China, maybe we won't do anything,' Trump said at the White House. 'But we want to open up China.' ___ By Jill Lawless and Ken Moritsugu Moritsugu reported from Beijing. Associated Press writers Josh Boak and Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this story.

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