But the ‘Nice Wake Up Call for an Ambitious Plastics Treaty’ Establishes Red Lines Ahead of Key Plastics Treaty Talks
NICE, France, June 13, 2025 — World leaders gathered at the UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3), which is closing today in Nice, have missed a crucial opportunity to take concrete action to make the ocean fossil fuel-free.
The Nice Political Declaration lacks the necessary commitments to protect the ocean, biodiversity, and the climate from their greatest threat: fossil fuels. Halting oil and gas expansion, especially offshore, and rapidly and equitably reducing the production and use of fossil fuels must be at the center of any action to protect the ocean and all life that depends on it. However, leaders have failed to mention fossil fuels, and missed a critical chance to accelerate their phaseout at the Nice Ocean Summit.
We cannot protect the ocean, biodiversity, or the climate, without phasing out fossil fuels. During the Conference, Pacific Island States repeatedly highlighted that, in order to protect the ocean, States have an obligation to tackle climate change and phase out offshore oil and gas.
Brazil and France launched the Blue NDC Challenge, an initiative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through “ocean-based climate mitigation” actions that include tackling offshore oil and gas. Australia, Fiji, Kenya, Mexico, Palau, and the Republic of Seychelles supported the initiative. However, oil and gas did not appear on the official conference agenda or in the final declaration.
On Tuesday, June 10, almost 100 ministers from around the world issued the Nice Wake Up Call for an Ambitious Plastics Treaty, a declaration establishing red lines ahead of the key plastics treaty talks set for Geneva in August. Plastics are fossil fuels in another form (over 99% of plastic is made from chemicals sourced from fossil fuels) and an ambitious plastics treaty is paramount to protect people and the planet.
Next week, delegates will gather at international climate negotiations in Bonn, Germany, for the 62nd session of the Subsidiary Bodies to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). These negotiations, in particular the Ocean Dialogues, will be a key moment for governments to define how they will phase out offshore oil and gas, consistent with their legal obligations.
Commenting on the UN Ocean Conference, CIEL experts released the following statements:
Bruna Campos, CIEL’s Senior Campaigner on Offshore Oil and Gas, said:
“Inexcusably, the issue of fossil fuels, one of the greatest threats to the ocean, was left out of a conference dedicated to protecting it. Fossil fuels are the main cause of greenhouse gas emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions are considered marine pollutants under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. This critical connection should have been central to the Ocean Conference, but it was ignored. Pacific Small Island Developing States were among the few nations that spoke clearly about the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels. This is a matter of life or death for them, like for many other communities vulnerable to climate change. Ignoring the imperative of phasing out offshore oil and gas is not just an injustice: it is inadmissible.”
Andres del Castillo, CIEL’s Senior Attorney for the Plastics Treaty, said:
“Within the Nice Political Declaration, countries reaffirmed their commitment to the plastics treaty negotiations, proving that these negotiations are very much alive and at the top of the multilateral agenda. Additionally, 96 Countries set the floor of measures across the full lifecycle of plastics within the Nice Wake Up Call for an Ambitious Plastics Treaty, starting with the need to set a global target for reducing plastic production. We have nine weeks to build upon these commitments, securing human rights protections and legally binding measures. The world is watching.”
Mary Church, CIEL’s Geoengineering Campaign Manager, said:
“It’s deeply concerning that proponents of marine geoengineering were out in force at the UN Ocean Conference, peddling the latest techno-fixes. Proposals to manipulate the ocean and force it to store more carbon would do nothing to address the root causes of the climate crisis. Marine geoengineering poses significant, new, and unprecedented risks to the fragile ocean ecosystems that sustain life on Earth. The ocean is our greatest ally in the fight against climate change, and already under extreme pressure from temperature increases, pollution and overexploitation. Governments must act to implement the global moratorium on marine geoengineering, reaffirmed only last year at the UN Biodiversity Conference.”
Media Contact
For more information, or to schedule interviews, please contact
Niccolò Sarno, CIEL Media Relations (Geneva): [email protected], +41-22-5068037
Cate Bonacini, CIEL Senior Communications Specialist (Washington, DC) for Plastics Treaty inquiries and interviews only: [email protected] +1-510-520-9109