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Ocean summit ends declaring a 'global emergency'

More than 150 nations committed to put science at the heart of renewed efforts to tackle the multiple human-caused crises threatening the ocean.

International Maritime Organization's Secretary-General with New Zealand and Seychelles environment ministers
International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Kitack Lim, left, New Zealand's Environment Minister David Parker, center, and Seychelles Environment Minister Flavien Joubert, right, at a panel discussion on marine pollution (AN/IMO)

More than 150 nations committed to put science at the heart of renewed efforts to tackle the multiple human-caused crises threatening the ocean — the lungs of our planet — that covers about 70 percent of Earth’s surface.

Delegates capped a five-day United Nations summit in Portugal's coastal capital Lisbon that ended on Friday with agreement on a 17-point Lisbon Declaration that says they are "deeply alarmed by the global emergency facing the ocean" and will take immediate steps to boost marine science and data collection, strengthen international law enforcement, and promote sustainable ocean-based economies inclusive of women and girls.

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