Europe Asia News

The UN Ocean Conference is seeking concrete plans and funding to address what organizers call a marine "emergency". The unity call comes as nations clash over a plastics treaty and the U.S. resists deep-sea mining rules.

The global summit on the dire state of the oceans starts Monday in France, featuring demands to prohibit bottom trawling and bolster protections for the world’s overexploited marine areas.

World leaders attending the UN Ocean Conference in Nice were told to come up with concrete ideas and financial support to face what organizers describe as a global "emergency" regarding neglected seas.

The unity appeal comes amid disagreements among nations over a global plastics pollution treaty and U.S. opposition to international regulations on deep-sea mining.

On the eve of the summit, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva stated leaders must act immediately: "The planet can no longer tolerate broken promises."

A new wave of commitments is expected on Monday in Nice, as around 60 heads of state and government join thousands of business leaders, scientists, and civil society activists.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday, before hosting an official dinner, "Never in human history have we brought so many people together for the oceans."