Coming together for the ocean

Do you know that all life on Earth came originally from the ocean? The sea is still essential to our survival today. When we pollute it, with plastics or oil, or when we take too many fish from it, we're also doing ourselves harm.

And yet we have a problem trying to protect the ocean. National laws don't apply beyond 200 nautical miles (370 km) from their coasts. That leaves more than half the ocean in a legal no man's land, where people can do pretty much what they want without worrying about being punished.

LET'S TALK

For nearly 80 years, there's been an organisation in New York called the United Nations, the UN. Nearly every country in the world is a member today - 193 in all. About 20 years ago they agreed they would try and come up with a way to protect the "high seas" - those parts of the ocean that don't belong to any country.

It wasn't easy. Some countries want to go on profiting from the ocean's natural resources. Many other countries can't afford deep sea fishing fleets or to hunt rare minerals on the seabed, but they say they still have a right to share in our planet's wealth. And some big countries simply don't trust each other to play fair.

THE SHIP HAS REACHED THE SHORE

On Friday, March 3, the negotiators from the 193 countries started what they hoped would be their last day of talks in New York to finalise a deal. But they were still too far apart. They talked all day, and all through the night and all through the next day. By late on Saturday, many thought they'd never agree. But in the evening, the woman chairing the meeting was finally able to declare: "The ship has reached the shore." Everyone had agreed.

There's still a lot to be done. But this treaty should, we hope, let the UN create huge protected areas across the ocean where no one will be allowed to fish, drill for oil or maybe even sail across in big ships. These zones could make up to 30% of the ocean by 2030, according to a UN target.

For Adalbert Jahnz, a European diplomat who explained the high seas treaty to WoW! News, "It's a really vital agreement that will help us protect the ocean much better in future."