"UK on Brink of Missing Out on Ocean Summit as Ratification Bill Stalls"
Britain is racing against time to join a global oceans summit due to its failure to ratify the UN's high seas treaty. The landmark agreement, which came into force on Saturday after two decades of talks, aims to protect biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. However, despite signing the treaty in 2023, the UK parliament has yet to pass the bill needed to bring it into effect.
Environmental charities and campaigners are sounding the alarm, warning that if the government fails to act soon, Britain will be left out of the Ocean Cop summit, which is expected to take place this year. The summit is a crucial opportunity for countries to come together and address global ocean governance issues.
The UK's lack of progress on ratifying the treaty has been criticized as "glacial" by environmental groups. They are calling on the government to complete the bill at least 30 days before the first Ocean Cop summit, which could take place as early as August this year. Failure to do so would be a "failure of leadership", they say.
The biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction bill is due for its third reading in the House of Lords on Monday. The Foreign Office has confirmed that it is committed to making the treaty into law using the standard parliamentary process, but has yet to provide a specific timeline for completion.
As the world marks this significant moment, communities and activists around the globe are celebrating with street art and public events. In one notable example, a striking new mural was unveiled in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, to celebrate the treaty coming into force. The artwork was part of a global action involving artists, Indigenous peoples, and activists from 13 countries.
With time running out, Britain's environmentalists are urging the government to take immediate action to avoid missing out on this critical opportunity for ocean conservation.
Britain is racing against time to join a global oceans summit due to its failure to ratify the UN's high seas treaty. The landmark agreement, which came into force on Saturday after two decades of talks, aims to protect biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. However, despite signing the treaty in 2023, the UK parliament has yet to pass the bill needed to bring it into effect.
Environmental charities and campaigners are sounding the alarm, warning that if the government fails to act soon, Britain will be left out of the Ocean Cop summit, which is expected to take place this year. The summit is a crucial opportunity for countries to come together and address global ocean governance issues.
The UK's lack of progress on ratifying the treaty has been criticized as "glacial" by environmental groups. They are calling on the government to complete the bill at least 30 days before the first Ocean Cop summit, which could take place as early as August this year. Failure to do so would be a "failure of leadership", they say.
The biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction bill is due for its third reading in the House of Lords on Monday. The Foreign Office has confirmed that it is committed to making the treaty into law using the standard parliamentary process, but has yet to provide a specific timeline for completion.
As the world marks this significant moment, communities and activists around the globe are celebrating with street art and public events. In one notable example, a striking new mural was unveiled in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, to celebrate the treaty coming into force. The artwork was part of a global action involving artists, Indigenous peoples, and activists from 13 countries.
With time running out, Britain's environmentalists are urging the government to take immediate action to avoid missing out on this critical opportunity for ocean conservation.
uk is literally running out of time to join that ocean summit 
they signed the treaty like 2 yrs ago but parliament is still dragging their feet 
environmental groups are getting pretty salty tho, saying it's glacial progress 
need to step up their game ASAP 
anyone else think this is a big deal? 
its soooo important and i cant believe britain is failing everyone 
the ocean cop summit is like a big deal and now its gonna be cancelled if they dont get their act together 
environmental charities are sounding the alarm but the gov isnt listening 
30 days or something, i dont know 
they're talking about street art & public events all over the world but our own parliament is stuck in neutral 
. can't believe environmental groups are calling it a "failure of leadership"... sounds like someone needs to step up & take control 
, unable to move forward with any sense of urgency or purpose.
. And now, because of it, the UK might be left out of this critical summit? That's not just a failure of leadership, that's a betrayal of public trust 
.
. So, I ask you, what kind of leadership can't even get this right?
, it's like they're playing games with the future of our planet! The UK is seriously lagging behind on ratifying that treaty 
. Come on, government! Get your act together and show us you're serious about taking care of our oceans 
.
. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's amazing that they're finally taking steps towards protecting our oceans, but 20 years of talks and now they're still stuck? It's like they're racing against time, literally 
.
. The UK needs to get its act together and join the party ASAP!
lets keep our fingers crossed that they can pull this off before Aug! 
. It's not like it's a simple process or anything... but still, 30 days? That's like, what, a blink of an eye in government time? I mean, can't they just get their act together for once? 
It's like they're stuck in neutral while the rest of the world is accelerating forward 
. Can't they see how this is gonna impact future generations? We can't just sit back and let them pass up an opportunity like this... it's gotta be a priority!