More than 100 countries join together to save oceans from illegal fishing and plastic pollution

by Megan Richardson

Toward the beginning of February, over 100 countries’ representatives met in France at the One Ocean Summit to discuss protecting oceans from pollution, plastic, and overfishing, as reported by Good News Network. Out of the Summit came an agreement between 43 nations to regulate the high seas in a more sustainable way.

With the high seas being beyond any single country’s jurisdiction, laws regarding what happens at sea must be changed through international accords. This tragedy of the commons problem is something that can only be fixed by countries working together.

Six more countries join the International Maritime Organization’s Cape Town Agreement, which sets safety standards for shipping vessels. Further, several EU nations said they would deploy navies to step up their surveillance on illegal fishing. Looking at the private sector, 18 different ports agreed to reduce emissions while 22 shipping countries signed on to reduce underwater noise pollution, sulfur pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions.

With countries gathering together and agreeing on more international accords on this shared resource, we are taking more steps to taking care of our Earth and ensure prosperity for future generations.