Nice, France – Under the azure skies of the French Riviera, world leaders, scientists, indigenous representatives, and activists have gathered in Nice for the United Nations Ocean Conference 2025. With the clock ticking on climate change and marine biodiversity loss, the stakes at this year’s summit are higher than ever. Delegates from over 140 countries, including the United States, China, and major EU powers, are working to finalize global commitments to ocean protection in a pivotal moment for climate diplomacy.
At the heart of this summit lies one goal: turning the promise of “30×30”—protecting **30% of the world’s ocean areas by 2030—into a reality. But achieving this goal has proved elusive. While public support is high and the urgency overwhelming, political, economic, and scientific disagreements—especially over deep-sea mining, fisheries governance, and funding gaps—are threatening to derail progress.
A Crisis Beneath the Surface
The 2025 UN Ocean Conference comes amid an unprecedented ocean crisis. In the last two years alone:
- Over 84% of the world’s coral reefs experienced bleaching, with irreversible damage likely in key regions such as the Great Barrier Reef and parts of the Indian Ocean.
- Marine heatwaves, intensified by climate change, have decimated fish stocks and disrupted ocean currents.
- Ocean acidification, caused by carbon absorption, is undermining shellfish populations and ecosystems critical to global food security.
- Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing accounts for up to 30% of global catches, threatening sustainable fisheries.
The message from scientists is clear: Without decisive global action, the ocean will lose its ability to regulate climate, sustain biodiversity, and support human livelihoods.
The 30×30 Goal: Progress and Pitfalls
The headline ambition of the Nice summit is the long-standing target to protect 30% of the world’s ocean and marine ecosystems by 2030, a goal originally set under the Global Biodiversity Framework and reaffirmed at COP15.
As of 2024, only about 8% of the ocean is designated as protected, and much of that is poorly enforced. The conference seeks to:
- Expand marine protected areas (MPAs), especially in biodiversity hotspots.
- Strengthen enforcement and monitoring of existing protections.
- Finalize commitments for high seas governance under the newly ratified High Seas Treaty (also known as the BBNJ Agreement).
While progress has been made—around 70 countries have pledged new MPA zones since the last conference—the practical implementation is slow. Developing nations, in particular, cite a lack of financing, technology, and legal infrastructure as major obstacles.
“We cannot fulfill 30×30 without support,” said President Ismail Hossain of the Maldives. “We are the frontline of ocean collapse, but we lack the ships, satellites, and budgets to police our waters.”
Deep-Sea Mining: A Flashpoint
Perhaps the most contentious issue in Nice is the future of deep-sea mining—the extraction of minerals like cobalt, nickel, and rare earths from the seabed.
Supporters argue that deep-sea mining is essential to supply materials for clean-energy technologies, such as electric vehicle batteries and solar panels. The International Seabed Authority (ISA) has already approved exploration contracts for more than 1.5 million square kilometers of the ocean floor.
But scientists and conservationists warn that mining in fragile deep-sea ecosystems—some of which have not even been fully mapped—could cause irreversible harm. Species that evolved over millennia in pitch-black depths may be wiped out before they are ever discovered.
At the Nice summit, nations are divided:
- France, Chile, Germany, and Vanuatu are calling for a moratorium or ban on deep-sea mining.
- China and Russia are pushing for regulated but accelerated extraction.
- The United States has not yet ratified the UNCLOS treaty but is participating in the talks.
“There is no such thing as sustainable deep-sea mining today,” declared Sylvia Earle, renowned marine biologist and explorer. “We’re opening Pandora’s box before we even know what’s inside.”
Funding the Blue Transition
Another major fault line at the summit is financing. While the UN has called for $175 billion in ocean protection investments over the next five years, only about $10 billion has been pledged—much of it conditional or recycled from previous aid.
Developing countries argue that the climate justice gap is growing. They shoulder the burden of conservation but receive a fraction of the resources.
“The ocean knows no borders, but funding certainly does,” said Minister Fatouma Kane of Senegal. “We need real partnerships, not empty promises.”
The summit saw the launch of several initiatives aimed at closing the gap:
- Blue Bonds issued by Seychelles and Belize were praised as models for debt-for-nature swaps.
- The Ocean Resilience Fund, a new World Bank-backed mechanism, received $2.5 billion in commitments from EU nations and private foundations.
- Tech companies, including Google and Microsoft, pledged AI tools for ocean monitoring.
Still, critics argue these measures are “drops in the ocean” compared to what’s needed.
Indigenous and Youth Voices Take the Stage
A powerful element of the Nice summit has been the inclusion of indigenous communities and youth activists, whose voices are often marginalized in diplomatic circles.
“Western science is just catching up to what our ancestors knew,” said Tupou Leilani, a Tongan activist representing Pacific Island youth. “We are the ocean. Protecting it is not optional—it’s survival.”
Delegations from Arctic and Pacific communities, as well as Amazonian river dwellers, have emphasized local governance, traditional ecological knowledge, and the need for legally binding consultation rights in marine conservation policies.
The summit’s “People of the Sea” pavilion has become a central venue for storytelling, grassroots organizing, and cross-cultural exchange.
Technology and Ocean Mapping
A bright spot in the summit has been the role of technology in enhancing ocean science and monitoring.
Recent breakthroughs include:
- Seabed 2030, a project aiming to map the entire ocean floor by the end of the decade, announced 65% completion, thanks to AI-assisted sonar and autonomous vehicles.
- OceanSat-3, a new satellite launched by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), is providing real-time ocean temperature and salinity data with unprecedented resolution.
- AI-powered drones and machine learning tools are being deployed to identify illegal fishing vessels and monitor marine protected areas.
These innovations offer hope for more effective governance—but experts warn that access remains uneven.
“The digital divide is becoming a marine divide,” noted Dr. Camila Ramos, a marine tech expert from Brazil. “We must ensure that new tools serve the global good, not just the technologically rich.”
Diplomatic Outcomes and What Comes Next
As the Nice summit draws to a close, a draft agreement is circulating with five main pillars:
- Accelerated expansion of MPAs toward the 30×30 target.
- New financing commitments, including $5 billion in annual blue economy funding.
- A moratorium on deep-sea mining until at least 2030 (pending a scientific review).
- Strengthened support for indigenous-led conservation and traditional knowledge systems.
- Formal adoption of the High Seas Treaty, with implementation plans by 2026.
Reactions are mixed. Environmental NGOs welcome the moratorium but remain skeptical about enforcement. Business groups are pushing for more clarity on resource rights. And small island states insist that timelines must be shortened.
“The ocean has given humanity everything—food, air, climate stability,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres in his closing address. “It is now time for us to give back.”
Conclusion: A Turning Point or a Missed Opportunity?
The 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice has been one of the most ambitious and controversial international gatherings in recent memory. With climate pressures mounting and the clock running out on biodiversity loss, this moment could represent a genuine turning point—or a missed opportunity cloaked in good intentions.
What happens next will depend not just on signed declarations, but on actions: how quickly countries implement commitments, whether financing arrives on time, and how inclusive governance structures become.
In the words of indigenous elder Moana Rangi from New Zealand: “We can no longer afford to speak of the ocean as if it were apart from us. Its health is our future.”