At the United Nations, negotiators from more than 190 countries have agreed to the first-ever international treaty to protect the high seas.
The historic agreement caps nearly two decades of efforts by conservation groups. It seeks to establish marine protected areas covering 30% of the world’s seas by 2030 to protect ocean biodiversity.
Environmentalists hailed the treaty’s passage as a major milestone and called on nations to swiftly adopt and ratify it. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature said in a statement the treaty “closes essential gaps in international law and offers a framework for governments to work together to protect global ocean health, climate resilience, and the socioeconomic wellbeing and food security of billions of people.”
