Some positive news for the world’s oceans this week – just in time to celebrate World Oceans Day! On 28th May, six European nations stepped up to formally ratify the Global Ocean Treaty – an international agreement seen as pivotal to protecting life beyond national waters.
Cyprus, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Portugal and Slovenia have deposited their ratifications at the United Nations in New York, followed closely by Dominica and Norway who deposited their ratifications in June to add their weight to the 30 countries now officially on board.
The path to implementation of the Global Ocean Treaty
The Global Ocean Treaty is one of the most important international conservation agreements in history and the first focused on conserving marine life on the high seas. The high seas are areas beyond national jurisdictions that cover 64% of global ocean area. These waters are some of the least well-known and least protected areas on Earth, with only 1% having full protection.
Scientists have drawn up a bold rescue plan for our oceans – and it’s brilliantly simple: we cover the planet in ocean sanctuaries, putting at least a third of the seas off-limits to industrial fishing and other destructive industries. The 2022 Global Biodiversity Framework was negotiated at the Nature COP in 2022. The target is simple in concept, but monumental in scope: protect at least 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030 to preserve wildlife and avoid the worst effects of climate breakdown. The Global Oceans Treaty is a critical tool to realise this goal. To implement the treaty, it must be ratified by 60 countries. So far, just under half of that number have followed through.
Although 115 countries have signed the Global Ocean Treaty, this preliminary endorsement on its own doesn’t create a binding obligation. Once signed, the ratification phase is initiated, and the country must bring the treaty into law through their own domestic processes. For example, in Australia, prior to entry into force, the legislative changes required to implement the treaty must have passed both Houses of Parliament.
When the treaty becomes law in that country the state must still formally deposit an instrument of ratification with the UN to be legally bound by the treaty and finalise the process. It’s a key step in the treaty-making protocol, signifying a country’s commitment to the terms of the treaty and fulfilling ratification. Which was the final steps we saw taken in New York by the six EU countries and later by Dominica and Norway.
The United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) on June 9 is another opportunity for nations to complete ratification, and there is excitement building that there could be a spike in completed ratification numbers.
How Australia measures up for ratification
Australia remains conspicuously absent from the list of ratifying nations, despite playing a vocal role in the treaty’s negotiation. Even with the recent positive steps from some countries, the momentum we had hoped for is still lagging behind global ambition. Australia signed the Global Ocean Treaty in 2023, and claimed that ratification was a priority, however, protecting the ocean has been deprioritised despite the Government’s ambitious claims.
Greenpeace Australia Pacific is calling on newly elected Environment Minister Murray Watt to ratify the Global Oceans Treaty within the first 100 days of office.
“Australia has a lot to gain by leading proposals to protect the high seas in ocean sanctuaries in our region. But this can’t happen until Australia ratifies the treaty and helps bring it into force. It’s urgent that the Albanese government gets on with this task as soon as parliament resumes.”
Glenn Walker, Head of Nature Program.
We need to keep the issue of ocean protection high on the government’s radar to create political momentum and get this treaty ratified. Following ratification, there is also the huge task of making the case for marine protected areas, and specifically for the protection of the Lord Howe Rise and South Tasman Sea which we hope will become an ocean sanctuary by 2028.
At this very moment, in the remote waters of the Tasman Sea, our Greenpeace crew is documenting the largely unseen impacts of industrial fishing. Their mission is to investigate the destruction caused by longline fishing and gather crucial evidence to support the urgent need to protect the ocean. By shining a light on the harm these practices cause we are building a stronger case for the creation of ocean sanctuaries.
Hope on the horizon for the oceans
Destructive fishing practices such as longlining and bottom trawling have left scientists and advocates sounding alarms around the world. The science is clear: without a network of ocean sanctuaries, the health of the high seas and the life they sustain will continue to spiral.
The commitment of the countries who have signed the treaty, and the additional ratifications that are expected at UNOC are more than just a flicker of hope, they are lights guiding the path towards a brighter future for oceans, for all of the creatures that inhabit them, and for humanity.
This gives us hope. But it’s not enough. More countries must ratify this treaty at the UNOC if this conference is to be anything more than symbolic. Protecting 30% of the oceans by 2030 is critical for safeguarding life on Earth.
“We have a treaty, but now we need action for it to become the lifeline the oceans desperately need and not another cautionary tale of political inaction.”
– Glenn Walker, Head of Nature Program.
The time has come for Australia to step forward into a growing global movement committed to protecting the world’s oceans. Alongside the ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty within 100 days of the new government, Greenpeace Australia Pacific is also calling for Minister Watt to propose a world-first high seas marine protected area in the Tasman Sea.
