The treaty, which took effect a week ago, aims to protect biodiversity in international waters and prevent the takeover of marine life, which belongs to everyone. Among its key concerns are plankton, tiny organisms that drift through the ocean and play a central role in sustaining life on Earth. The first living organisms to appear on the planet, plankton gave rise to all other forms of life. They play a central role in regulating the Earth’s climate by absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. These discoveries have fuelled growing interest from industry, which hopes to extract molecules that could be used in future medicines. Almost all patents linked to marine genetic resources are held by companies in the world’s 10 richest countries. Do you think that someone wants to control ocean richness ?
