The future of the oceans is being decided this week at the United Nations, where governments are negotiating a new Global Ocean Treaty.  The outcome will determine the fate of our blue planet for centuries to come.

We need our oceans. They keep our planet habitable. They provide sustenance and livelihoods for billions, and are home to so much of our planet’s biodiversity.

But they are in crisis. From industrial fishing to deep sea mining, the oceans face so many threats. Thankfully, more than 100 governments have joined scientists in supporting the solution; protecting at least 30% of the oceans by 2030, the 30×30 target, to give them space to recover. 

This is impossible without a strong new Treaty. 

Currently, there is no way for governments to protect the high seas, waters outside national jurisdictions. A strong Treaty would fix this by enabling the creation of vast ocean sanctuaries, off limits to destructive human activities.

The need for action is urgent. Governments first discussed a new Treaty almost two decades ago. While they’ve talked, the ocean crisis has deepened. Countless species and habitats have been destroyed or lost.

A strong Treaty would provide hope for the future of the oceans, and for the billions of people who depend on them.

A weak Treaty, or any further delay, would make 30×30 practically impossible. This would be a slap in the face for all those who have put faith in political leaders actually keeping their promises.

Over 5 million people have joined us to call for action to protect the oceans and deliver a strong Treaty. 

Now it’s up to delegates to protect the oceans. Time truly is running out. The world is watching. The future is watching. 

Signed by:

Rosanna Arquette, Actor and Activist
Hayley Atwell, Actor
Alec Baldwin, Actor and Activist
Javier Bardem, Actor
Carlos Bardem, Actor
Lily Cole, Model
Fearne Cotton, Presenter
Laura Dern, Actor and Activist
David de Rothschild, Explorer
Shepard Fairey, Artist and Activist
Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall, Chef
Jane Fonda, Actor and Activist
Silvia Frey, KYMA Sea Conservation & Research
Stephen Fry, Actor
Álvaro Longoria, Film Director and Activist
Robert Lindsay, Actor
Joanna Lumley, Actor and Activist
Will McCallum, Head of Oceans, Greenpeace UK
Adam McKay, Writer, Director, Producer
Helen Mirren, Actor
Arizona Muse, Model
Cornelia Nauen, Mundus Maris – Sciences and Arts for Sustainability
Vicki Nichols Goldstein, Inland Ocean Coalition
NOMA, Model and Activist
Farah Obaidullah, Women4Oceans
Lillian Ono, Climate justice activist
Chris Packham, Presenter
Piper Perabo, Actor
Michael Palin, Actor
Grag Queen, Singer and Activist
Inde Relph and Sally Ranney, Co-founders, GlobalChoices
Mark Rylance, Actor
Susan Sarandon, Actor and Activist
Andrew Sharpless, Oceana, CEO
Alex Smolinsky, SharkProject International, President
Alejandro Sanz, Singer 
Andrew Sharpless, Oceana, CEO
Gustaf Skarsgård, actor and environmentalist
Alex Smolinsky, SharkProject International, President
Brett Sommermeyer, Law of the Wild, Legal Director
Alison Sudol, Singer, Actress and Activist
Masahiro Takemoto, Diver and Environmentalist
Ted Turner, Founding Member, Ocean Elders
Amber Valletta, Model and Activist
Shailene Woodley, Actor and Oceans Advocate
Bonnie Wright, Filmmaker and Author
Sindhu Vee
Daisuke Yosumi, Author and Naturalist