“Intensely frustrating” – that’s how one guest describes the slow progress of the UK towards ratifying the UN High Seas Treaty.

On this episode of Committee Corridor, host Toby Perkins MP explores how the UK could help tackle the threats facing the world’s oceans, following the UN Ocean Conference in June.

Much of the world’s ocean is unregulated, leaving vulnerable habitats unprotected from threats of pollution, unsustainable fishing and damaging practices such as deep sea mining. The High Seas Treaty is critical to establishing marine protected areas in international waters but needs to be ratified by 60 states before it can come into force. The UK signed it two years ago but has fallen behind other countries in ratifying it – the guests in this episode consider why.

Join Toby as he sits down with Fiona Thomas, Head of Public Affairs at the leading environmental charity, the Marine Conservation Society, to consider the UK’s progress on pressing marine concerns of bottom trawling, ‘forever chemicals’ and global targets such as 30x30 (to protect and conserve at least 30% of the world’s land, freshwater and ocean by 2030).

There is a very real risk that rising sea levels will cause some of the world’s most vulnerable countries to disappear underwater by the end of this century. Sarah Champion MP, Chair of the International Development Committee, describes how Small Island Development States are particularly exposed to the impacts of climate change and need the world to notice.

Finally, Toby hears from Pippa Heylings, a fellow MP from the Environmental Audit Committee, about the evidence and outcomes of the Committee’s recent report on Governing the Marine Environment.

Find out more about the work discussed in this episode:

Environmental Audit Committee: Governing the Marine Environment

International Development Committee: UK Small Island Developing States Strategy

Marine Conservation Society

Select committees are on Instagram: @UKCommonsCommittees

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