Macron Opens UN Ocean Conference with Urgent Call for Multilateral Action and Deep-Sea Mining Moratorium
Nice, The Gulf Observer: French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated the UN Ocean Conference 2025 in Nice on Monday, issuing a strong plea for multilateral cooperation to protect the world’s oceans from environmental degradation, exploitation, and climate-driven threats.
“The first answer is multilateralism,” Macron declared. “The deep sea is not for sale, neither is Greenland for sale, nor Antarctica,” he added, in a pointed critique of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s expansionist policies.
Macron stressed the urgency of protecting the oceans in the face of climate change:
“While the Earth is warming, the ocean is boiling.”
Calling for an open global partnership in science and research, Macron underscored that climate and biodiversity crises are grounded in scientific facts, not opinions.
A major milestone was also achieved during the summit, as Macron confirmed that the High Seas Treaty, signed in 2023, had reached the threshold for ratification.
“In the last few hours, 50 countries submitted their ratifications, and 15 more have committed. The political agreement is there—this treaty will now be implemented,” Macron announced.
The High Seas Treaty will enter into force 120 days after the 60th ratification. France had originally aimed to reach that number before the Nice summit.
Over 60 world leaders, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Argentine President Javier Milei, are attending the third UN Ocean Conference.
Macron also called for an international moratorium on deep-sea mining, describing the practice as “madness” that would irreparably damage marine biodiversity.
“Launching predatory action in the deep sea is dangerous. A moratorium is a necessity,” he asserted.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking after Macron, echoed these concerns, warning against the oceans becoming a lawless “wild west.”
President Lula of Brazil also denounced unilateral moves toward seabed mining, pointing implicitly to Trump’s efforts to accelerate U.S. exploitation of deep-sea minerals.
“We cannot allow what happened to international trade to happen to the sea,” Lula emphasized.
The summit occurs as countries remain divided over a global treaty to curb plastic pollution, while only 2.7% of the ocean is currently protected—far below the 30% target set by the “30×30” global pledge for marine and terrestrial conservation by 2030.
Despite France’s claims of achieving the 30% marine protection goal, environmental groups argue that only 3% of French waters are genuinely protected from harmful activities like bottom trawling and industrial fishing.
In 2024 alone, over 100 bottom-trawling vessels spent 17,000+ hours fishing in France’s six marine nature parks, reported Oceana, a leading ocean advocacy organization.
The conference continues with a focus on bridging the gap between policy declarations and actual marine conservation outcomes.
