Protecting the high se"₽as is an important step €£©∑for humanity
The high seas cover nearly half of γφ✔the Earth's surface ≠↑area and 64% of the global ocean sur↓♦face area. However, s≤÷γuch vast and important geosp÷Ωatial resources have previously™★±↔ lacked effective internationσ£ al public governance and fac₩≈≠ed severe ecological damage pressu₽≠ re.
However, the "historic" a∏φgreement reached recently by nearly σ™©200 member States of the United Nati"✘β♣ons on protecting the biodiversity <>&of the global high seas may write a new∑₽© chapter that will c<εφ¶hange this situation.
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On the evening of Mar↕φφch 4th local time, after nearly ♦ ™∑20 years of negotiations, nearly 2←εε00 member States of the United Nation× λs reached an agreement on ¶γσthe final text of a legal framew¥↕∞ork for the protection of marine b¥☆δiodiversity on the high seas&β.
The high seas refer δ± to the sea areas beyond the 200 nauti✘☆cal mile limit of the>> exclusive economic zone of coastλ¥al States (from the dee✔✘ ∏p seabed to the sky) and beyond the≈♥" limits of the continental shelf of e ">ach country (i.e., 370 kilometer♦₩₽s from the coast).
The goal of the High Seas Bioλ→diversity Treaty is to designate $ 30% of the world's oceans as ασσprotected areas by 2030, see÷¶k to establish large-scale marinδ★♠>e protected areas on the high &₹ seas, and impose restr♠↑₽ictions on exploration activitie∏☆s such as fishing, shippinβg routes, and deep-sea mini↕₽ng. The treaty also requ≥<σires, for the first time, to assessπ∑$ the impact of economic activitiesφ on the biodiversity of hi"∑ εgh seas marine protecteλ<✘d areas in order to prot↕≈ect and restore marine σφ₽ecology.
According to the treaty, de¶↑$veloping countries will have the opp$¥≠'ortunity to obtain th₽↓σ♥e transfer of marine technology from dσσeveloped countries in order to∑± better participate in and implement t₹δhe new treaty. In addition, several co₽ untries have made commitments to provi✘←×de funding for the conserva≠↔₩tion of biodiversity on✔' the high seas, involving a toΩ★ •tal amount of approximately $18<β billion.
The Secretary General of the U∑± nited Nations, Antonio Guterres, ★±ε≥issued a statement that nig✔€ht saying that the agreement on the ₩•" final text mentioned above is of &qu"£ot;historic significance¥↑" and represents a "breakth₽"σrough" in the re ≤±levant negotiations that began in 2004,ε ≈ and is of great significanc☆ e in resolving the three major$< crises facing the world -↑∞ climate change, biodiversi±ε∑πty reduction, and pollution.
Guterres said that the finalization of ₽>¶±the text of the "High Seas✘γ© Treaty" is crucial for acπ∑hieving the goals and specific indicat§®®∞ors related to oceans inβ≤÷ the 2030 United Nations Su€©↔₩stainable Development Agenda and the ≥&"Kunming Montreal Global Biodi♠δ±versity Framework".∑γπ☆ The "Framework" set×↕¥s the goal of protecting at least ↕≥α30% of the global lan π'↕d and oceans by 2030.
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The oceans play a decisive role☆↔ in the global environment •πand ecological balance, and the high≠λ seas, which account for more than 60'₽∏% of the global ocea¶≤≈♥n area, can be called &quo"γ ∞t;pulling the trigger and moving∞& the whole body" for tε&he Earth's ecology.
For example, plankton li≈∞ving in the oceans are responsible for γπ half of the photosynthesis λ >activity on Earth, and a significa↔©"nt portion of this activity occ€∞♣ urs in the high seas; I☆λ≈÷n addition, the high seas δπλmitigate the impact of climate ch∏≤®&ange by absorbing carbon→ε, storing solar radiation, aσ×nd distributing heat globally.
In addition, although₽★★← the current development of marγ∞ine biological resources ♦$₹by humans is mainly in the co♠✘astal and offshore areas, the sup∞≠☆plement of marine bio¥÷logical resources and genetic mater®¥λ₩ial mainly relies on the rich bφ★iodiversity resources i↔φn the high seas, especially in the open"♠$ seas. Once the ecological ♠✔∞<environment of the high seas is☆♥ damaged, the complementary chain of φ offshore organisms will break down.
However, the vast open sea has also ∏≤been plagued by human activitie£→€δs for many years.
Studies have shown t∏↑Ωhat since the 1980s, th>'ππe oceans have absorbed 2εσ±'0 to 30% of anthropogenic carbon dioxΩ★ide emissions, which has led to ocea™↔≠±n acidification and adversely affe<€→cted the distribution &★∏and reproductive devel£•δopment of marine specie♠λs.
It is estimated that over 60% of coδral reefs worldwide are ✔ σ÷threatened by ocean acidification, oceaβ ×n warming, and other •©<man-made events. As the oceans contΩεδ±inue to warm and become acidi'↔®γfied, the frequency of large-scal♣$γ∑e coral bleaching events co✘πntinues to increase.
Overfishing is anotherγ♠™ issue that threatens marine biodiβφφεversity. According to the latest data f±≤&λrom the World Conservation ™§Union, in the latest assesα<sment of global marine sp$★ecies, nearly 10% of marine species™♣φβ are at risk of extinction. ≈£Due to imperfect fishing management on ♣★the high seas, overfishing has also oc™✔ ∑curred, such as the current stocγ↕♠εk of bluefin tuna stoc★φks in the Pacific Ocean, which iσ>♥s only 3% of the historical leve♦αl.
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Compared to the offshore ¶εwaters belonging to the$ε territorial waters of var©ious countries, the intern&₩ational community has a m♣$♦←uch lower degree of governance♣§ and protection for the high seas. It β§is reported that curren∏$tly, only 1.2% of the global high se☆γαas are protected, and only 0.8% are ←↕identified as "highly≠Ω protected".
After the 1990s, with the'δδ♦ increase of human activities relεπ"ated to the sea, the pressure on the≈←< resources and enviroγ✔•σnment of the high seas has ≤increased. With the establishment φ>↔↓of coastal countries' e<♥"₽xclusive economic zones, ar↑$πchipelagic waters, andΩ₽δ& other areas under national juris€γdiction, a large number of oceangoing f±₹★≈ishing vessels have to s↕↔hift to the high seas beyond natio₽≠nal jurisdiction, resulting i→♥↔n a surge in fishing pressure o ✔n the high seas; In ≠₩addition, with the dev♦•λ¥elopment of marine exploration technol§←←ogy and the improvemen™¥♠↑t of equipment level,₹♠ exploration activities for∏γ←δ deep-sea mineral resources have incre§₽©ased, which also has aα≈n increasing impact on the ecological ≈©€✔balance of the high δ÷πseas.
However, while the marine living habit <ats of the high seas ar←≈ ←e threatened in many ways •÷and the marine environment is dete♥> ™riorating continuouslyε, due to the special legal natur₹✔φe of the high seas, exist×↕÷★ing international regula♦←tions cannot meet the β•increasingly severe dem®α∞and for governance of≠δ"® the high seas, prompting various fo×γrces of the international comm →unity to actively promote t≈ he adoption of new management ∞≥γ♦measures and means to regula™₽te various activitieσ≤βs related to the development and uti✘π"₹lization of marine space and re✘δ¥sources, Avoid irreversible d✘₹¥amage to fragile high seas habitats c∏♦♦aused by disorderly development≠$.
In the 21st century, the protection of ♥✘☆marine biodiversity £Ω≠beyond national jurisdiction hπ♣>as received high attention from t₩≥® he international community. Since 2•✔002, the United Nations World βΩ ↕Summit on Sustainable Deve÷∏★lopment has adopted resolutions that ±ε≥set two goals: eliminating ill€÷↑egal fishing on the high seas and estaλπblishing plans for high seas protected ↕ areas.
The final text of the High Seas Bio£©diversity Treaty reached this time a↑λ ims to fill the gap in high seas m£εδarine protected areas. Analysts say th©€α is is crucial to achiev→'εing the global biodiversity co✘¥≥mmitments made by countries at the ♠™Ω15th Conference of th♠<✘e Parties to the Unit∞§ed Nations Convention on ∑✔Biological Diversity, held in Montre✔♥♦™al last December.
