UN begins talks on treaty to protect imperiled high seas

United Nations member states on Tuesday kick off long-awaited talks on a 2020 treaty that would regulate the high seas, which cover half the planet yet lack adequate environmental protection. Four sessions of talks, each lasting two weeks, are planned to take place over two years, with the goal of protecting marine biodiversity and avoiding further pillaging of the oceans. "The negotiations will relate to spaces beyond national jurisdictions, or areas that belong to no country in particular," said Julien Rochette of the Paris-based think tank Iddri, or the Institute of Sustainable Development and International Relations.