The UN agreed to a text on the first international treaty after years of negotiations to Protect the high seas, a fragile and vital treasure that covers nearly half the planet. The treaty is seen as essential to conserving 30 percent of the world’s land and ocean by 2030, as agreed by world governments in a historic accord signed in Montreal in December. The agreement will be formally adopted at a later date once it has been vetted by lawyers and translated into the United Nations’ six official languages. The high seas begin at the border of countries’ exclusive economic zones, which extend up to 200 nautical miles (370 kilometers) from coastlines. They thus fall under the jurisdiction of no country. Even though the high seas comprise more than 60 percent of the world’s oceans and nearly half the planet’s surface, they have long drawn far less attention than coastal waters and a few iconic species. Ocean ecosystems create half the oxygen humans breathe and limit global warming by absorbing

The post UN States Agree ‘historic’ deal to protect high seas appeared first on Balanced News Summary.