UN Chief warns against deep sea becoming ‘Wild West’

IANS: Countries must respect science and international law when it comes to seabed exploitation, which must not become a lawless “Wild West”, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday at the opening of the third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, southeastern France.

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There must be a balance between justified concerns about environmental impact and the legitimate interest in harnessing resources to support a sustainable ocean-based economy and the transition to green energy, Guterres said. He stressed that future actions must be “grounded in science, guided by precaution, and in line with the rights and obligations enshrined in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.”