Macron urges world leaders to better protect oceans

French President Emmanuel Macron urged other world leaders to better protect the planet's oceans by adopting an international agreement modeled on the legally binding Paris climate accords.

Macron travelled to Portugal after attending a NATO summit in neighboring Spain to make a speech at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon. Macron acknowledged the failure of world leaders to update an international treaty, known as the Convention on the Law of the Sea, High Seas, to include a mechanism that addresses ocean conservation and the sustainability of marine life.

Despite a fourth round of negotiations three months ago, a deal on the proposed treaty instrument is still not within sight. A fifth round is scheduled for August in New York. The five-day UN global event that ends today has gathered officials and scientists from more than 120 countries.