Historic High Seas Treaty shows the value of patient persistence

The signing, in March, of the High Seas Treaty, after twenty years of negotiations, was a welcome proof of the virtue of patience. The agreement, signed by UN member states, provides a legal framework to establish marine protected areas (#mpas) and establishes a Conference of Parties to provide monitoring and accountability. It is, for Vladimir Ryabinin, who we interview in this month's Back to Blue newsletter, a 'new page' in our relationship to the ocean, with the voice of scientists becoming more prominent. Our podcast this month talks to Winnie Lau, project director of the Preventing Ocean Plastics project at The Pew Charitable Trusts, about how we can decisively tackle #plasticwaste that is polluting our ocean and land environments and we are pleased to share the video of our strategy session at the World Ocean Summit 2023 recently held in Lisbon, which covers the #policy levers that could stem the environmental impacts of #plastics, as well as potential barriers to progress and pathways to implementation. Thanks to all our experts for sharing their time and insights this month. And allow me to make one request of our esteemed network: for one more month, Back to Blue is calling on scientists, research funders, policymakers, investors and business leaders to join the conversation about how to spearhead a coordinated global response to marine pollution and to co-design a roadmap by 2025 to close the #marinepollution data gap.

Research from Back to Blue

Help us close the data gap

For one more month, Back to Blue is calling on scientists, research funders, policymakers, investors and business leaders to join the conversation about how to spearhead a coordinated global response to marine pollution and to co-design a roadmap by 2025 to close the marine pollution data gap.

Peak plastics podcast

Back to Blue delves into how we can decisively tackle plastic waste that is polluting our ocean and land environments with guest, Winnie Lau, project director of the Preventing Ocean Plastics project at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

World Ocean Summit strategy session

Held at the World Ocean Summit 2023 in Lisbon, this filmed strategy session discussed the policy levers that could stem the environmental impacts of plastics, as well as potential barriers to progress and pathways to implementation.

Vladimir Ryabinin interview

As countries agree on an historic High Seas Treaty to preserve international waters, Back to Blue interviews Vladimir Ryabinin, the outgoing executive secretary of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), about recent progress in ocean governance and his hopes for the future.

Ocean pollution news

Historic high seas treaty agreed

On March 4th, countries agreed on the first ever treaty to safeguard international waters. The historic treaty, twenty years in the making, is crucial for enforcing the 30x30 pledge made by countries at the UN biodiversity conference in December, to protect a third of the sea (and land) by 2030.

EPA proposes first standards to make drinking water safer from ‘forever chemicals’

The US Environmental Protection Agency proposed the first national drinking water standard for “forever chemicals” dangerous to human health.

World Ocean Summit: Key takeaways

Martin Koehring, head of the World Ocean Initiative at Economist Impact, shares six takeaways from the tenth World Ocean Summit in Lisbon covering innovation, investment and financing.

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