THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	139
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

urging the united states senate to ratify the agreement under the united nations convention on the law of the sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine BIOLOGICAL diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, also known as the high seas treaty.

WHEREAS, over millennia, Native Hawaiians have developed a unique and sacred relationship with the ocean and its coral reefs and diverse marine species; and

WHEREAS, the health of the ocean is closely intertwined with and essential to the health of the islands and people of Hawaii, and is of critical importance to the State's economy, environment, and culture; and

WHEREAS, the health and function of Hawaii's waters are threatened by global stressors related to climate change, which is often beyond the control of the State alone; and

WHEREAS, more than sixty percent of ocean surface areas are beyond the jurisdiction of any nation and the ocean areas outside the two-hundred-nautical-mile limits of nations are referred to as the "high seas"; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii is located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and thus very connected to the high seas; and

WHEREAS, marine resources have little to no legal protections in vast areas of the high seas and the exploitation of resources therein can cause irreversible harm to ocean bio-diversity and marine ecosystems; and

WHEREAS, eighty percent of the carbon stored in the ocean is contained in the deep ocean below one thousand meters, making the protection of deep-sea ecosystems essential to mitigating the impacts of climate change and preventing further increases to atmospheric carbon dioxide; and

WHEREAS, on March 4, 2023, representatives of over one hundred ninety nations, including the United States, reached a deal on a historic United Nations treaty to protect the living resources and abundant bio-diversity in the high seas, known as the High Seas Treaty; and

WHEREAS, subsequent to the formal approval of the negotiated agreement by the United Nations, the United States and other nations of the world will have the opportunity to ratify, or otherwise approve, the High Seas Treaty; and

WHEREAS, ratification of the High Seas Treaty by the United States would give the federal government a seat at the table when future international decisions are made on issues relating to high seas fishing, deep-sea mining, and ocean protection; and

WHEREAS, the High Seas Treaty would support Hawaii's interests in protecting the health of the ocean and thereby the preservation of the State's invaluable coral reefs and marine bio-diversity; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2023, the House of Representatives concurring, that the United States Senate is urged to ratify the agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, also known as the High Seas Treaty; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to Hawaii's congressional delegation, the Governor, Chairperson of the Board of Land and Natural Resources, and mayor of each county.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

United Nations; High Seas Treaty; United States Senate; International Treaty;