¿Qué es la Cumbre de los Océanos de Niza y qué temas se tratarán?
The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) will take place in Nice, France, from June 9 to 13, 2025, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica. Its main goal is to accelerate global action to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG14). Key themes of the summit: Ratification of international agreements: Promote the entry into force of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and other relevant treaties for ocean protection. Mobilization of blue finance: Encourage significant investments in the blue economy and sustainable maritime transport, including issuing blue bonds and creating innovative financial mechanisms. Strengthening scientific knowledge: Enhance and better disseminate marine science knowledge to improve policymaking and decision-making. Combatting marine pollution: Develop strategies to prevent and significantly reduce all types of marine pollution, particularly from land-based activities. Climate change adaptation: Address the impacts of climate change on oceans, including sea-level rise and acidification, and promote the resilience of coastal communities. Climate and Oceans The ocean is Earth’s great thermostat. For the first time, it is reaching the limits of its capacity. Between June 9 and 13, life on the planet is at stake once more. The Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) aims to improve the protection of the seas and change their exploitation and conservation model. A “Nice Commitment” similar to the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate—which set critical temperature limits— is needed. However, anti-science rhetoric has entered politics and threatens the implementation of a treaty to protect 30% of high seas waters. Ocean Summit: The Unfinished Business of Lisbon The 2022 Ocean Summit in Lisbon ended with a sense of failure. The summit could not reach consensus to protect the high seas. However, a year later, applause echoed at the UN headquarters for the unanimous declaration emphasizing the need to adopt policies based on science and innovation to halt marine ecosystem deterioration. This was the starting point for the approval of the Global Ocean Treaty in 2023, which now awaits ratification by 60 countries. Nice is the opportunity to gain more allies. While Lisbon saw progress on plastic pollution—pending a future Global Plastics Treaty—deep-sea mining remains under debate, as environmental law expert Clara Tomé recalls. Lisbon urged attention to sustainable and resilient blue economies. However, as oceanographer Anna Cabré (University of Pennsylvania) explains, balancing environmental protection and marine exploitation—which supports vulnerable communities that may view regulations as development setbacks—remains a challenge. This creates fertile ground for denialist, conspiratorial, or delaying narratives. A landmark commitment was the goal to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030 through marine protected areas with more effective management. However, Cabré questions: “Which 30%? Where do we protect, by what criteria, and with what ambition?” Countries propose these decisions, Greenpeace’s Marta Martín-Borregón reminds us, emphasizing that they must be based on ecological criteria and scientific evidence—not other interests. About thirty countries appeared more serious in 2022 in the so-called High Ambition Coalition, including the European Union. Yet, Greenpeace’s Pilar Marcos says it was anything but ambitious, as economic gains from the blue economy prevailed. Pressure from the chemical and pharmaceutical industries to continue exploiting marine resources and from oil-based economies refusing to reduce plastic production also influence negotiations. Beyond promises, the summit revealed significant gaps. Organizations like the IUCN warned about the very low funding for ocean conservation—just 1.6% of Official Development Assistance—and stressed the urgent need to advance the ambitious agreement for marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). “The blue economy is clearly profitable,” says Brien O’Donnell from Campaign for Nature. Protection, plastics, and mining dominate the UNOC3 agenda, overshadowed by the U.S.’s anti-conservation rhetoric. Cabré believes “it will be a time of agreements among groups of countries rather than single leadership.” Not all is lost. A Wounded Yet Paradise-like Sea: The Mediterranean UNOC3 is the first summit to take place amid a sea as deeply wounded as it is paradisiacal—a Caribbean bathing the waters of Europe and Africa. The seemingly idyllic image turns tragic as unprecedented storms and marine heatwaves bring death to Mediterranean coasts and seabeds. Besides being one of the most polluted seas worldwide (though pollution varies by zone), it is the fastest warming sea on Earth. This summer’s start saw temperatures 2ºC above normal. Physicist and climate data analyst Dominic Royé (MBG-CSIC) illustrates: “We have injected energy equivalent to thousands of atomic bombs over years, and now we see it in recent weather extremes.” Is this a preview of what other regions face? Extreme temperatures have fueled (though not solely caused) the worst disaster in Europe: the tragic October 2024 floods in Valencia. It is catastrophic for biodiversity too. A warm sea kills not only its inhabitants but also threatens those nearby. The summit will also address resilience and early warning systems—topics increasingly relevant, as some countries have been preparing for years. Voices from the Mediterranean “The ocean (and its seas) regulates Earth’s climate. I always say without oceans, we wouldn’t have a climate,” says Anna Cabré (University of Pennsylvania), highlighting her dual expertise in oceanography and cosmology. “The Mediterranean has it all,” she notes—a nearly enclosed sea under enormous human pressure yet experiencing a global temperature rise. Diego Kersting (IATS-CSIC), who has dived among Mediterranean corals for years, observed alarming mortality in reefs near the Columbretes Islands off Castelló following marine heatwaves. These reefs also suffer plastic and microplastic pollution. For him and other experts, the Mediterranean is “a natural laboratory to study climate change impacts on marine ecosystems.” He warns that sometimes protection alone isn’t enough. The Columbretes are a marine reserve, yet “we see degradation even in protected areas; it’s worrying and depressing.” The corals he grew up with are suffering. The problem is global. Ocean Summit: Ten Goals and a Deadline These should be the oceans’ happy twenties. UNESCO chose this decade as the last chance to meet a ten-point plan for ocean protection. UNOC3 could either boost or hinder progress on ten goals the UN says states should commit to by 2030. Below is our “UNÓCmeter” tracking five of these goals, updated as commitments arise in Nice: Understand and combat marine debris Increase resilience to marine and coastal risks Unlock ocean-based solutions for climate change Develop a sustainable, resilient, and equitable ocean economy Protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity
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