After two weeks of negotiations between more than 50 countries, the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) ended last Friday without establishing a High Seas Treaty — once again leaving more than two-thirds of the global ocean unprotected. But important progress was also made, which the Only One community of supporters has helped push for. World leaders are closer than ever before to finalizing the treaty, and there’s reason to be optimistic that the next negotiation will be the last step in the nearly two-decades–long process. We can’t let up the pressure now, and we need you with us! Can you help build momentum for the coalition to protect the High Seas by sharing our petition with your network? We’re just shy of our goal of 75,000 signatures.
Update: On November 30, 2023, countries formally operationalized the Loss and Damage Fund on the first day of COP28 in Dubai, with over $700M committed to date.
The world’s 20 wealthiest nations are responsible for nearly 80% of total greenhouse gas emissions, while all small island nations combined account for barely 1%. But while developing nations contribute very little to climate change, they often bear the greatest burden.
The climate crisis costs communities billions of dollars in damages and claims precious lives. While catastrophic storms make headlines, warming temperatures, rising sea levels, and biodiversity loss receive less attention but have an increasingly urgent and costly toll for developing nations. These countries need global support for climate-related loss and damage.
