Right now, we have the best chance in history of passing the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOS).

What is LOS?

The Law of the Sea protects the environment, preserves freedom of navigation and establishes clear guidelines for businesses that depend on the sea for resources. Right now, we’re sitting on the sidelines of the treaty, looking in from the outside. Ratifying LOS will help us preserve fragile marine ecosystems and keep us safe by ensuring that the U.S. military and U.S. businesses have the same legal rights at sea as those from other countries. Only working together with other nations can we keep the oceans safe and clean for everyone.

Environmentalists, oil companies, the military, peace organizations, ocean industries, and even President Bush support joining the treaty.

Now is the time to remind your Senator that protecting our oceans is vital. Now is the time to remind them to work with our friends and allies abroad to agree on common rules for 2/3 of the world’s surface.

What can you do?

Please call your Senators today to tell them you want You can help by calling both of your senators' foreign policy staff and tell them that you want the U.S. to join the world as a member of the Law of the Sea. Use the simple look-up form to find contact information for your senators' foreign policy staffers. Visit, http://globalsolutions.org/fps

Why should we ratify the Law of the Sea? (Additional Talking Points):

• As the Bush administration, the military, environmental organizations, scientific societies, peace groups, legal experts, and all ocean industries have said, U.S. ratification will advance our goals and restore our international leadership role.


• Security. Joining the convention will ensure that other countries recognize the navigational and overflight rights that our armed forces depend on. These rights will help to keep us safe, defend our interests at sea, and enhance collaboration with our allies.
  
  
• Economic Opportunity. Our absence from the convention handicaps our ability to exploit (or conserve) precious marine resources and protect our investments. The U.S. is already far behind in the race to stake claims in the resource-rich Arctic seabed. Joining would expand our control over an area larger than the continental U.S. and give our businesses access to resources in the deep seabed, where no nation can set the rules by itself.
  
  
• Responsible Stewardship. Joining the convention would put us in a position to further global efforts to protect marine life, conduct research, and prevent marine pollution. U.S. laws are already strong in these areas; if we join, we can urge other countries to fulfill their obligations to keep the seas clean and safe for future generations.

Click here for more information on Law of the Sea and why it is so important.

Posted: October 12, 2007