The High Seas Treaty is a powerful testament to multilateralism. By Julie Peller Ph.D.

Green Junction

                After several decades of negotiations, the United Nations adopted an international treaty in 2023 to protect the oceans. Last month, the High Seas Treaty cleared its final step toward becoming international law, with the required 60 countries signing on. The law will ensure the protection of huge areas of the ocean that are beyond the jurisdiction of coastal countries. The treaty is called the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

                The agreement will become law in 2026 and will apply to areas of the ocean called the high seas, which is two-thirds of the ocean. The high seas, by definition, are located beyond the exclusive economic zones established by countries under the United Nations Convention. Presently, only about 1 percent of the high seas, which make up nearly half of the earth’s surface, is protected. The law is critical for protecting the oceans’ biodiversity and ecosystems. The details of the treaty will be discussed in future sessions of the Conference of the Parties (BBNJ COP).

                Threats to oceans’ ecosystems include climate change, plastic pollution, deep-sea mining, overfishing, and shipping. The World Resources Institute columnists wrote, “By weaving together national actions with a robust global treaty, the world can ensure a resilient, equitable and thriving ocean for generations to come. This treaty is a milestone in the international drive to protect the ocean as a shared resource.” The director of the High Seas Alliance explained, “The High Seas Treaty is a powerful testament to multilateralism, showing what the world can achieve when we come together for the common good for our ocean, which covers more than 70 percent of the planet.” 

Julie Peller, Ph.D., is an environmental chemist (Professor of Chemistry at Valparaiso University). She has been writing a weekly column called The Green Junction for the past seven years and is helping to move the call of Laudato Si to action forward. Her research interests include advanced oxidation for aqueous solutions, water quality analyses, emerging contaminants, air quality analyses, challenges along the Lake Michigan shoreline (such as Cladophora, water, and sediment contaminants), and student and citizen participation in environmental work.