WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 11, 2025) — President Trump is exacerbating our oceans crisis by signing several Executive Actions that prioritize corporate profit over environmental wellbeing. In the op-ed “Who Will Defend Our Oceans—the Last Global Commons?” published in Common Dreams, Greenpeace USA Interim Executive Director Sushma Raman and Greenpeace USA Oceans Campaign Director John Hocevar discuss solutions for how the international community can stop this dangerous rollback before it is too late. These include:
- Ratifying the Global Ocean Treaty, the only legal tool that can establish marine protected areas in international waters outside of the Southern Ocean
- Voting to enact a moratorium on deep-sea mining
- Issuing a strong ministerial declaration on the Global Plastic Treaty, a commitment to cutting plastic production, ending single-use plastic, and prioritizing public health, environmental justice, and protection of our ocean
Excerpts from the piece follow:
Now is the moment to make it clear that the deep ocean, recognized by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as the common heritage of humankind, cannot be seized by those with the deepest pockets or the best-connected lobbyists.
The next opportunity for bold action is fast approaching, with governments this week convening at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France. As the US retreats from leadership on ocean protection, the international community is poised to make decisions that could have lasting benefits or far-reaching consequences.
While the scale of the threat is daunting, our history reminds us that we are not powerless.
This week’s UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, and the critical UN meetings later this Summer, offer governments a crucial chance to protect the hard-won gains and reverse the damages that have been made. Whether they seize it will determine the future of the world’s largest—and most essential—commons.
Read the full op-ed here.
Sushma Raman is the Interim Executive Director of Greenpeace USA.
John Hocevar is the Oceans Campaign Director of Greenpeace USA.
Contact: Madison Carter, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, [email protected]
Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.
