Oceans cannot become ‘wild west’, warns UN chief

Unregulated mining at the deep sea should not be allowed to move forward, warned the United Nations.

“The deep sea cannot become the Far West,” said UN secretary general António Guterres at the opening of the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, in France.

His words were taken over by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said that “the oceans are not for sale”.

The remarks seem to refer to President Trump’s decision in April to start issuing permits for the extraction of critical minerals in international waters.

There is an increasing interest in extracting precious minerals from what are called metallic “nodules” which occur naturally on the seabed.

But marine scientists are concerned about the damage that could be caused.

“The ocean is not for sale. We are talking about a common good,” said President Macron. “I think it is the madness of launching a predatory economic action that will disturb the deep seabed, disturbs biodiversity, destroy it.”

This problem is one of the many on the agenda in France, including tropo, plastic pollution and climate change.

More than 2,000 of the world scientists gathered last week to examine the latest data on ocean health – they recommended that governments come together this week that deep sea exploration is interrupted while new research is carried out on the impacts.

More than 30 countries support this position and call a moratorium – but President Trump has not brought back his decree.

A key objective of the United Nations Ocean Conference, which takes place until Friday, is to obtain 60 countries to ratify a high -sea treaty and thus put into force.

This agreement was concluded two years ago to put 30% of international waters in protected marine areas (AMP) by 2030, in the hope that it would preserve and help ecosystems to recover.

President Macron said in his opening speech that 15 others had ratified, but that does not bring the total number to 47.

The British government has not yet ratified the agreement, but on Monday, it declared that a prohibition on a lower “destructive” fishing type which drags large nets along the seabed could be extended through the AMPs in England.

Even if enough country sign, there are concerns of environmentalists, including Sir David attent Boch, that there is nothing explicit in the treaty to prohibit trawling at the bottom in these AMPs.

Chaluling at the bottom is one of the most destructive fishing practices that can lead to accidentally killing larger marine species.