From 9 to 13 June, the coastal city of Nice will host the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), a high-level summit co-chaired by France and Costa Rica. Its mission: to confront a deepening ocean emergency that scientists warn is nearing a point of no return.
“The ocean is facing an unprecedented crisis due to climate change, plastic pollution, ecosystem loss, and the overuse of marine resources,” Li Junhua, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, who is also serving as Secretary-General of the event, told UN News.
“We hope the conference will inspire unprecedented ambition, innovative partnerships, and maybe a healthy competition,” he said, highlighting the need for international cooperation to avoid irreversible damage.
The pressure is on. UNOC3 is bringing together world leaders, scientists, activists, and business executives to tackle the growing crisis in the world’s oceans.
The goal is to spark a wave of voluntary pledges, forge new partnerships, and — if organizers succeed — inject a much-needed dose of accountability into the fight against marine degradation.
The week-long talks will culminate in the adoption of a political declaration and the unveiling of the Nice Ocean Action Plan — an effort to match the scale of the crisis and accelerate action to conserve and sustainably use the ocean.
Warming seas, bleaching reefs
The crisis isn’t a distant threat: it’s happening now. In April, global sea surface temperatures hit their second-highest levels ever for that month, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service.
Meanwhile, the most extensive coral bleaching event in recorded history is underway — sweeping across the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and parts of the Pacific. More than a single event, it’s a planetary unraveling.
Coral reefs, which sustain a quarter of all marine species and underpin billions in tourism and fisheries, are vanishing before our eyes. Their collapse could unleash cascading effects on biodiversity, food security, and climate resilience.
And the damage runs deeper still. The ocean continues to absorb more than 90 per cent of excess heat from greenhouse gas emissions — a worldwide service that may be nearing its limits.
“Challenges like plastic pollution, overfishing, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and warming are all linked to climate change,” Mr. Li warned.
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