Guterres urges countries to join ocean pact before point of no return

Euronews

a day ago

After receiving historic support for the High Seas Treaty at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday that its entry into force is "within sight".
The treaty, which provides a legal framework for establishing marine protected areas and regulating activities on the high seas, gained momentum on Monday. However, its implementation is not yet guaranteed.
Guterres urged all remaining nations to ratify the pact quickly to make it legally binding.
During his address, he highlighted significant opposition to the treaty's goals.
"There is a tipping point approaching, beyond which recovery may become impossible. And let us be clear. Powerful interests are pushing us towards the brink," Guterres stated.
"We are facing a hard battle against a clear enemy. Its name is greed. Greed that sows doubt, denies science, distorts truths, rewards corruption, and destroys life for profit."
If it comes into force, the treaty would be the first legally binding international agreement to protect biodiversity on the high seas, which cover nearly two-thirds of the world's oceans.
It is considered vital to counter overfishing, end plastic pollution, regulate seabed mining, and meet the global '30 by 30' conservation goal, which aims to protect 30 per cent of the planet's oceans by 2030.
Stressing the urgency, Guterres also reminded delegates that climate change goals cannot be ignored.
"Last year, for the first time, the annual global temperature was 1.5 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-industrial times. Scientists are clear that that does not mean that the long-term global temperature rise limit of 1.5 degrees is out of reach," he said. "It means we need to fight harder. And the ocean depends on it, and so do we."
Eighteen countries ratified the treaty on Monday, bringing the total to 49, just 11 short of the 60 needed for the ocean agreement to enter into force.
The surge in support adds momentum to what could become a historic shift in how the world governs the open ocean.
The French Senate overwhelmingly backed a new bill designed to regulate low-cost clothing giants on Tuesday, mainly targeting Chinese e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu.
The text aims to tackle the environmental and economic consequences of fast fashion, a model that thrives on mass production and low prices.
The legislation introduces an eco-score system that will evaluate the environmental impact of products sold by fast fashion companies, including emissions, resource use, and recyclability.
Brands with the lowest scores could be taxed up to €5 per item starting in 2025, increasing to €10 by 2030. However, the tax cannot exceed 50% of the item's retail price.
It also includes a ban on advertising for ultra-fast fashion brands and sanctions for influencers who promote them online.
While the bill takes aim at ultra-fast fashion platforms like Shein and Temu, it notably spares major European players such as Zara, H&M, and Kiabi from the harshest penalties.
Environmental groups have criticised the revised bill for what they see as a weakened ambition.
'It's a missed opportunity,' said Pierre Condamine, campaign manager at Friends of the Earth France.
'We've got a text that's going to target two brands and therefore leave out what represents at least 90% of production and clothing sold in France. So it's a missed opportunity. We could have a real environmental ambition. We are very disappointed because, in the end, we can see that it's economic protection that has become the major driving force behind this bill. In contrast, at its beginning, there was an ambition to move the sector towards more sustainable practices," he told Euronews.
But some French lawmakers argue the bill needs to protect European industries first. 'Unfortunately, we have no choice,' said conservative Senator Sylvie Valente Le Hir.
'Today, we still have to defend what's left of our European industries. We have to make a distinction between the production that's done in China by these giants. We're talking about scales that are 100 times larger than us. So we're preserving European and French industries for the time being, because if we don't, there will be nothing left," she told Euronews.
Shein spokesperson Quentin Ruffat responded to the bill earlier this week, warning that the text could "impact the purchasing power" of French consumers.
Between 2010 and 2023, the value of advertised fast fashion products in France rose from €2.3 billion to €3.2 billion.
In France, 35 clothing items are discarded every second, according to the country's environment agency Ademe.
The Senate passed the bill with 337 votes in favour and only one against. The text will now move to a joint committee of senators and deputies in September.
The European Commission will also need to be notified to ensure the bill complies with EU regulations.
If passed, it would mark one of the most aggressive legislative efforts in Europe to address the toll of fast fashion, though its ultimate impact remains to be seen.