After 15 years of negotiations, the High Seas Treaty is set to come into force in 2026. Former French president Emmanuel Macron congratulated the UN Ocean Conference on its success. By lending their voice to the international community, President Macron and France are leading the way in maritime protection.
French President answering Ocean’s issues
Held in Nice, the UN Ocean Conference brought together 60 parties to ratify the High Seas Treaty. On this occasion, President Macron was interviewed by France 2, the French national TV channel. ”Successful” is a word Emmanuel Macron used to describe the wake-up call of this conference. Countries have agreed on many subjects, such as the creation of protected marine areas, plastic pollution and cargo. Indeed, 95 countries support reducing plastic production to mitigate the impact of pollution on the oceans.
“I want us to reach a global agreement. It’s completely crazy to do that. It’s crazy to exploit and drill in places we don’t know. It’s frenzied madness”, he said. He was also very clear about the situation, saying that “the issue of oceans” is not a matter of opinion.
Likewise, he remained firm on the issue of deep-sea mining, stating that the ocean is not for sale. This is not just a figure of speech; in this quote, President Macron is targeting the Trump administration, who are planning to pursue the process of deep-sea mining despite the objections of scientists.
During this intervention, President Macron met with oceanic figures such as Paul Watson, who thanked France for standing up to Japan and Denmark regarding Watson’s extradition. He also thanked the French president for his potential to become “a leader in ocean protection”.
Tau Metuktire, a leader of an Amazonian tribe, asked the French president for help regarding a plan to explore for oil at the entrance to the Amazon River. In response, Macron urged the Brazilian president, Lula, to find a better way to improve the country’s health.
French Polynesia leads the way
To highlight this Ocean Week and take concrete action, France took the lead on maritime protection. On Monday, it was announced that 4.55 million km² of French Polynesia’s EEZ would be protected. In addition, 900,000 km² will be strictly protected, emphasising the need to preserve biodiversity from human activities. Concerning artisanal fisheries, 1.1 million km² will fall under the category of “highly protected areas”. This is a vast territory; it is actually twice the size of metropolitan France.
The president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature congratulated French Polynesia on its initiative, describing the decision as “historic”. President Macron posted on X to highlight the diversity of the marine ecosystem in the Pacific Ocean, describing it as a ‘worldwide sanctuary’ and mentioning dolphins, sharks and many more species. Ocean Week in Nice presented France with a valuable opportunity to take action, in the hope of encouraging many more countries to take responsibility for their marine territories. France has already made its mark.
By 2100, the sea level around the French Polynesian islands is expected to rise by up to 80 cm. The worst-case scenario concerns Tuvalu, a small archipelago in the South Pacific which could disappear by 2050 due to rising sea levels.
