The third U.N. Ocean Conference has opened as pressure mounts for nations to turn decades of promises into real protection for the sea. French President Emmanuel Macron delivered the keynote address in Nice on Monday. He said the fight for the ocean “is at the heart of the years-long battles we’ve been waging — for biodiversity, for climate, for our environment and for our health.” Atop this year’s agenda is ratification of the High Seas Treaty. It would for the first time allow nations to establish marine protected areas in international waters. They cover nearly two-thirds of the ocean and are largely ungoverned.
