Society often envisions the oceans as merely a beautiful beach, instead of taking a moment to consider what the ocean’s purpose really is and the vital functions it carries out. The ocean is not just a beautiful place to vacation in the tropics, but it performs many vital ecological processes. The oceans comprise over 70 percent of earth’s surface and also supply about 75 percent of the world’s oxygen. The ocean regulates temperature and provides resources that are crucial to the survival of humans as well as many other species (Smith pg.10). Therefore, if the oceans become incapable of carrying out these vital functions, it could mean the end of life on earth. With so much at the mercy of the oceans, it has become increasingly apparent that measures must be taken to prevent further degradation and harm. In …show more content…
This conference’s main mission was to settle the two main issues left unresolved at the first conference – the extent of the territorial sea and exclusive fishery zones. In order to successfully pass these measures, Canada and the United States proposed a piece of joint legislation allowing territorial sea to reach as far as six nautical miles. Despite their efforts, many people wanted a twelve-mile limit and therefore the vote did not obtain the two-thirds majority needed for passage (Lawrence pg 161). This resulted in yet another failure in the mission to codify the law of the ocean. Thirteen years later, a third and final Conference of the Law of the Sea would take place. This conference lasted nine years and was finally concluded in 1982 when all the compromises and deals were agreed upon. At the third conference, it was obvious which nations had the most influence and surprisingly, it was not the typical world superpowers. Instead, the most powerful group at the conference was Group 77 – consisting of about 120 developing African, Asian, and Latin American