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UN protects the ocean - 27th March 2023
The United Nations has agreed to protect the oceans. The new High Seas Treaty will protect 30 percent of the ocean.
Fishing, shipping and mining are necessary but they damage the sea. This Treaty will protect sea life..
In 1982 The Law of the Sea was agreed. It gave every country the right to fish freely. But It protected only 1.2 percent of the oceans.
The new Treaty took years to write and more than a day and a half of discussions to sign. At the end of the long process Rena Lee, who is the UN Ambassador for Oceans, said "The ship has reached the shore".
The treaty caused arguments. Most countries agreed to protect the seas, but not everybody wanted to pay.
Rich countries can mine the sea for valuable sea life. These can be useful in medicine and industry. But poor countries can't and they want to benefit. The EU helped the treaty by paying 40 million euros.
The Treaty will also protect species in danger. Almost 10 percent of marine species could die out. They started Marine Protected Areas to stop fishing in some areas.
There's still a lot of work to do. But it's a positive step to protect our oceans and to do it together.
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