And for the first time in history,
nearly 200 countries agreed on a treaty
to protect marine life in international waters.
They signed the Treaty on Saturday after two weeks of negotiations
at the United Nations headquarters right here in New York City,
member nations have been trying to agree on this
treaty for what seems like two decades now,
it's going to help protect marine life
in waters outside of any country's jurisdiction.
This is what's commonly known as the high seas,
which encompasses nearly half of the earth's surface according to the U N.
This treaty is critical to helping it protect 30%
of our planet's land and oceans by 2030.