Nice Wants to Be the Next Paris At least when it comes to shaping the planet’s future. Around 50 heads of state and government are gathering in the Mediterranean city of Nice, host of the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3). The event aims to echo the significance of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, which set a clear goal for nations: not to exceed the critical global warming threshold of +1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
This ocean summit arrives with the seas under literal and figurative heat. In addition to rising ocean temperatures — the Mediterranean being a particular hotspot — acidification is also on the rise. Together with unsustainable fishing, pollution, and deep-sea mining, these factors are devastating entire ecosystems, as reminded by the hosts during the opening session: French President Emmanuel Macron and Rodrigo Chaves of Costa Rica, co-organizer of the event. The summit begins without the presence of the United States or China, in a deeply polarized world.
The “Wild West” and Trump, Its Gunslinger
Four key diplomatic dynamics are shaping the start of this Ocean Conference (which is not a “Conference of the Parties” like the climate COPs):
- Macron has described the current state of the seas as a «Wild West.» Sixty percent of ocean waters and their ecosystems lie in areas beyond national jurisdiction (the high seas). In this legal void, actors operate with little to no oversight or consequences. The summit aims to establish enforceable protections — at least for one-third of the world’s ocean surface. But problems also lie deep beneath the waves.
- The French president aimed a veiled jab at Donald Trump and his former ally Elon Musk, saying: “Let’s explore the oceans first — most of their depths remain unknown — before we go to Mars.”
- The U.S. has withdrawn from multilateral negotiations. Already out of the Paris Agreement, Donald Trump shows no intention of joining the Ocean Treaty. While 60 countries must ratify the treaty for it to enter into force, its success does not hinge solely on the U.S., Greenpeace’s Ocean Lead Marta Martín-Borregón told Newtral.es.
- Trump is issuing a challenge. He has not ruled out granting licenses for deep-sea mining — an activity often considered highly destructive by environmental groups and scientists — even beyond U.S. waters, in open defiance of the International Seabed Authority.
Spain is among 33 countries that issued a declaration today in favor of protecting the seabed, considered the “common heritage of humankind.” European Council President António Costa called for a moratorium on seabed mining.
Despite Trump’s opposition, states hope to make progress. Macron has called for a “mutilated but effective” multilateralism.
An Ocean Summit With Limited Expectations
Experts in ocean diplomacy and marine conservation have expressed cautious expectations in Nice. Reaching 60 ratifications for the treaty is unlikely in the short term. Still, country blocs are beginning to commit to expanding marine protected areas and mobilizing financing.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Monday that the EU will invest €1 billion in conservation and research through 50 projects — not just in EU waters, but globally, in a nod to international initiatives now under threat in the U.S.
“We want to build a strong global alliance for the ocean — it’s a global challenge,” von der Leyen said. At the EU level, the Commission has proposed a European Ocean Pact, a common framework to align maritime and conservation policies.
Spain, for its part, has announced it will designate five new protected marine areas along its coastline, increasing protection to 25.7% of its waters. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez also announced that Spain will become the main donor to the Blue Cooperation Fund for the Mediterranean.
