World leaders head to France for UN summit on ocean threats

WORLD leaders descended on the French Riviera on Sunday ahead of a high-level summit to tackle a deepening crisis in the oceans driven by over-fishing, climate change and pollution.

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The UN says oceans face an “emergency” and leaders gathering in Nice will be under pressure to commit much-needed money and stronger protections for the ailing seas and the people that depend on them.

The UN Ocean Conference must try to turn a corner as nations feud over deep-sea mining, plastic litter and exploitative fishing, against a backdrop of wider geopolitical tensions.

Some 50 heads of state and government are expected to attend, including Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his Argentine counterpart Javier Milei.

Yesterday, French President Emmanuel Macron was expected to sail to Nice from Monaco, where he is attending a related event aimed at raising private capital for ocean conservation.