At the United Nations, negotiators from more than 190 countries have agreed to the first-ever international treaty to protect the high seas. The historic agreement caps nearly two decades of efforts by conservation groups. It seeks to establish marine protected areas covering 30% of the world’s seas by 2030 to protect ocean biodiversity. Environmentalists hailed the treaty’s passage as a major milestone and called on nations to swiftly adopt and ratify it. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature said in a statement the treaty “closes essential gaps in international law and offers a framework for governments to work together to protect global ocean health, climate resilience, and the socioeconomic wellbeing and food security of billions of people.” We’ll have more on the high seas treaty after headlines.
