Macron announces that the free sea treaty will be implemented soon. Alarm signal on the situation of oceans

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, announced on Monday that many countries “have formally engaged” to ratify the so-called free sea treaty, an international agreement for the protection of the oceans, Politico reports.

“While the earth warms up, the ocean boils,” Macron said. “Our scientists tell us things that we could never have imagined: heat waves right in the heart of our oceans. And as the sea level increases, besides the fire, the submersion is on the horizon,” the French leader warned.

The ocean generates more than half of the planet's oxygen and absorbs 30% of the total carbon dioxide emissions. However, given that marine and coastal ecosystems are experiencing multiple threats, including the impact of climate change, as well as with the pressures of fishing and pollution, all could change. The oxygen content in the oceans decreases globally, according to a UNESCO report from 2024, and the heating of the oceans takes place at an unprecedented and constantly accelerating rhythm.

“The ocean is our greatest ally, whether you live here, in Europe, or anywhere in the world,” said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. “But if we neglect the ocean, if we treat it without respect, it will return against us,” she added, invoking the “more and more violent storms” that “devastate our coasts.”

Event in France with representatives from over 120 countries

Emmanuel Macron and Ursula von der Leyen spoke at the third United Nations Conference on Oceans (UNOC) in Nice, France, where delegations from over 120 countries, including over 50 heads of state or government, were gathered together.

The treaty on the free sea, or the agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas outside national jurisdiction (BBNJ), as it is officially known, sets standards for creating marine areas in international waters, among other measures. It can only be implemented after being officially ratified by at least 60 countries.

The supporters of the Treaty hope that it will contribute significantly to the protection of 30% of the land and the seas of the planet by 2030, as provided by the COP15 biodiversity concluded in December.

According to the French president, thanks to the 15 countries that have “formally hired to adhere”, in addition to the approximately 50 ratifications already submitted, the Treaty on the Free Sea will be implemented soon.

“So this is a victory,” Macron said.

The French president was flanked by Ursula von der Leyen, by the Brazilian President Luiz Ináio Lula Da Silva, by the UN Secretary General, Antonio Getterres, and by the president of Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves, who co-aim the conference.

“The sea is our first ally against global warming,” Macron said in his opening speech.

“Today, we are a few centimeters from the 60 signatures for ratification,” said Ursula von der Leyen. “So, in order to give life to the Treaty on free marriage, Europe will contribute with 40 million euros to the Global Ocean program. So please all today: please accelerate ratification, because our ocean needs to play our role,” added the President of the European Commission.

She promised an investment of one billion euros in 50 projects around the world, both for “those who earn their existence” and for “scientists and environmentalists trying to protect it”.