How can we represent the ocean inclusively?
Assembly 鈥淲hose Ocean?鈥
There is ongoing debate about the rights of nature and the question of who is authorized to represent ecosystems in politics and legislation, including the ocean. The initiators of the project Whose Ocean? advocate for inclusive representation of the ocean and aim to explore methods for achieving this during an assembly on 30 January in The Hague. Their approach involves rewriting sections of the UN Ocean Treaty from a non-human perspective. The outcomes are intended to demonstrate to participants of the UN Ocean Conference in June 2025 in Nice that alternative approaches are possible.
The assembly will take place at Theater De Regentes in The Hague and is organized by Utrecht 木瓜福利影视, NIOZ, Embassy of the North Sea, and Casco Art Institute, Working for the Commons. Over 200 scientists, students, artists, environmental activists, conservationists, and policymakers will attend. There is currently a waitlist for the assembly, please .
The ocean is crucial for life on Earth and climate stability. Yet the initiators argue that the ocean is underrepresented in global legislation and political decisions. 鈥淚 was astonished during the Paris Climate Conference that no one truly stood up for the ocean,鈥 says oceanographer Erik van Sebille, one of the event鈥檚 initiators. 鈥淓ssentially, only actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Prince Albert II of Monaco spoke up.鈥 This lack of advocacy must change, Van Sebille insists, because otherwise, who will defend the ocean's interests?
Diplomats currently act too much in national interests
Our ocean
Van Sebille seeks to challenge the current representation of the ocean and explore alternatives. 鈥淭he UN Ocean Treaty refers to 鈥榦ur ocean,鈥 but it鈥檚 entirely unclear who is included in that 鈥榦ur,鈥欌 adds , artistic director of the Embassy of the North Sea and co-initiator of the project.
This ambiguity leads to issues, 鈥檛 Hart explains, citing deep-sea mining as an example. The extraction of valuable metals from the ocean floor disrupts ecosystems that thrive on polymetallic nodules, which host diverse forms of life. 鈥淒iplomats currently act too much in national interests and are not equipped to consider the ocean as a whole,鈥 Van Sebille asserts.
It gives me hope that science is taking this step
Jellyfish, nodule, and seagull
The event is an exercise in adopting more-than-human perspectives, bringing together science, art, and politics. Participants will split into working groups to rewrite passages of the ocean treaty from the viewpoints of a jellyfish, a polymetallic nodule, and a seagull. 鈥檛 Hart is particularly inspired by Utrecht 木瓜福利影视鈥檚 decision to collaborate on such an experimental idea. 鈥淚t gives me hope that science is taking this step,鈥 he says.
The project is funded by Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 and the Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie.