Environment: 100 countries pledge to protect 30% of their land and sea territory by 2030

The Lisbon summit on the oceans gave rise to demonstrations by activists, like those of Ocean Rebellion here, on June 27, 2022. © Pedro Nunes / Reuters

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The oceans at the center of discussions this week in Lisbon, with the United Nations conference on the subject until Friday July 1, when all the studies show it: they are doing badly, due to acidification, warming, rising waters and the loss of biodiversity.

The countries will negotiate and discuss, but 100 States have already committed to protecting 30% of their territory, land or sea, by 2030.

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With our special correspondent in Lisbon

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It will have taken time, but the symbolic bar of 100 countries has been crossed: they undertake to protect 30% of their territories, land or sea, by 2030. The issue is

, since today today only 10% of their total surface is protected.

Good news, but we are still far from the 193 member states of the United Nations.

And still miss the call of the giants like China, Russia, Indonesia or Brazil.

There is also the question of the nature of this protection granted.

It all depends on how it is defined and often some harmful activities are still allowed in such areas.

But during

, we nevertheless welcome this progress.

What matters is the momentum: this conference on the oceans precedes a meeting in New York at the end of August on the high seas, then COP27 in Egypt in November and finally COP15 on biodiversity in Montreal in December.

The 30% in 2030, as it is called, could then be the keystone of a treaty concluded at its end, a treaty which would then include 193 signatures.

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