193 nations urge action to protect oceans
new york — The 193 UN member nations issued an urgent call for action on Friday to reverse the decline in the health and productivity of the world’s oceans — with the United States backing the action plan but rejecting its support for the Paris agreement to tackle climate change.
Ministers and diplomats burst into applause as the final document was gaveled to approval by consensus at the end of the first-ever UN conference on oceans.
It recognises the critical importance of the world’s seas to the future of the planet: Covering threequarter of the Earth, they supply nearly half the oxygen that we breathe, absorb over a quarter of the carbon dioxide we produce, provide food, and play key roles in water cycles and the climate system.
The government leaders called on people and organisations everywhere to take action to reverse the threats from plastic garbage, illegal and excessive fishing, rising sea levels that could wipe out small islands, and increasing acidity of ocean water that is killing marine life.
While the call for action was unanimously approved, countries are allowed to express reservations afterward. Egypt and Russia also dissociated their governments from specific provisions, but the United States was the only country to oppose the Paris accord. And when France and the European Union spoke after the US and urged implementation of the climate deal, they received loud applause.
US Deputy Assistant Secretary of
The uS remains committed to working with all stakeholders, within and outside the un system, to protect our ocean and promote development through its sustainable use. David Balton, US deputy assistant secretary for oceans and fisheries
State David Balton, who is in charge of oceans and fisheries, noted President Donald Trump’s announcement on June 1 that the United States will withdraw from the Paris agreement or renegotiate US participation, which has already been rejected by other countries.
But Balton said the US remains committed to work inside and outside the UN to address “threats to the ocean and to promote its conservation and sustainable management for this and future generations.”
“The United States remains committed to working with all stakeholders, within and outside the UN system, to protect our ocean and promote development through its sustainable use,” said Balton.
General Assembly President Peter Thomson, a veteran diplomat from Fiji, said his goal for the fiveday conference was to start the reversal of the decline of the oceans.
“I am 100 per cent satisfied,” he said. “From this point onward nobody can say they are unaware. The bar has been raised on global consciousness and awareness.” —