News Highlight
A delegation from India and other member countries of the United Nations is in New York to deliberate on a one-of-its-kind agreement (Ocean Diversity Pact) to conserve marine biodiversity on the high seas.
Key Takeaway
- The agreement follows a resolution by the UN General Assembly.
- It is to draft an international, legally binding instrument under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
- “The high seas” means the oceans that extend beyond countries’ territorial waters.
- The high seas comprise nearly 45% of the Earth’s surface.
- A key aspect of the agreement is deciding on the rights of companies that undertake exploration for biological resources on the high seas.
Marine resources
- These are materials and attributes found in the ocean that are considered to have value. That value can be intrinsic or monetary.
- They include a huge number of things: biological diversity, fish and seafood supplies, oil and gas, minerals, sand and gravel, renewable energy resources, tourism potential, and unique ecosystems like coral reefs.
Unexploited Important Oceanic Resources
- Minerals:
- The ocean contains a vast amount of minerals, including cobalt, zinc, manganese and rare earth materials.
- These minerals are needed for the electronic industry to make smartphones, laptops, and car components etc.
- Energy resources:
- The main energy resources present in the ocean are petroleum and gas hydrates.
- Petroleum products mainly include the oil produced from offshore regions. Gas hydrates are unusually compact chemical structures made of water and natural gas.
- Apart from that, marine energy is a renewable power source that is harnessed from the natural movement of water, including waves, tides, and river and ocean currents.
- For instance, ocean thermal energy conversion.
- Salts:
- Seawater contains economically useful salts such as gypsum and common salt.
- Gypsum is useful in various industries.
- For example, crude gypsum is used as a fluxing agent, fertiliser, filler in paper and textiles, and retarder in portland cement.
- Manganese Nodules and Crusts:
- Manganese nodules contain significant concentrations of manganese, iron, copper, nickel, and cobalt, all of which have numerous economic uses.
- Fishery:
- Marine fishing wealth around the Indian coastline is estimated to have an annual harvestable potential of 4.4 million metric tonnes.
Importance of marine resources
- Sustainable development:
- Marine resources from the ocean can serve as the backbone of economic growth.
- Blue economy, through sustainable use of oceans, has great potential for boosting economic growth.
- Employment generation:
- It will provide jobs, and improve the livelihoods of many. This will help with inclusive growth.
- E.g improving fishery resources can provide a livelihood to many.
- Food security:
- It will lead to food security through the fishing sector and other seafood resources.
- It would also help in reducing malnutrition issues as fish are a good source of nutrition. For example, omega 3 fatty acids.
- Energy security:
- It will help in the diversification of energy resources and will provide new resources for energy
- e.g. gas hydrates.
- Climate Change:
- Oceans provide an alternate and cleaner source of energy. It also acts as an important carbon sink. This will help in mitigating climate change.
- Women empowerment:
- It will help in women’s empowerment, especially in the fishery sector, by providing them with jobs.
- As these jobs do not require high skills, women will find it easy to earn a livelihood.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
- The UNCLOS, also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities.
- It replaced the four Geneva Conventions of April, 1958, which respectively concerned the territorial sea and the contiguous zone, the continental shelf, the high seas, fishing and conservation of living resources on the high seas.
- The Convention has created three new institutions on the international scene :
- The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
- The International Seabed Authority.
- The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.
- It divides marine areas into five main zones namely- Internal Waters, Territorial Sea, Contiguous Zone, Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the High Seas
- Internal Waters:
- Internal water is water on the landward side of the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is assured.
- Bays , ports, inlets, rivers, and lakes that are connected to the sea are some examples.
- Territorial Sea:
- The territorial sea extends seaward up to 12 nautical miles from its baselines.
- The coastal states have sovereignty and jurisdiction over the territorial sea.
- These rights extend to the seabed, subsoil, and even airspace.
- Contiguous Zone:
- The contiguous zone extends seaward up to 24 nautical miles from its baselines.
- It is an intermediary zone between the territorial sea and the high seas.
- The coastal state has the right to both prevent and punish infringement of fiscal, immigration, sanitary, and customs laws within its territory and territorial sea.
- Exclusive Economic Zone:
- Each coastal state may claim an EEZ beyond and adjacent to its territorial sea that extends seaward up to 200 nautical miles from its baselines.
- sovereign right for the purpose of exploring, exploiting, conserving, and managing natural resources, whether living or nonliving, on the seabed and subsoil.
- Rights to carry out activities like the production of energy from water, currents, and wind.
- High seas:
- The ocean surface and the water column beyond the EEZ are referred to as the high seas.
- It is considered “the common heritage of all mankind” and is beyond any national jurisdiction.
Content Source: The Hindu