iStockphotoInternational lawmakers placed a priority on marine conservation at a recent U.S. summit.
World leaders pledged more than $5.3 billion to ocean conservation at a U.S. summit last week, per U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.
During the two-day conference – which included representatives from 90 countries – 1.3 million square miles also gained protection designation, which limits commercial fishing and oil drilling, among other activities.
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The U.S. contributed by establishing its first marine reserve in the Atlantic: the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, located 130 miles off the coast of Cape Cod.
"This is life and death. This is national security,” said Kerry after the meetings closed Friday. “It is international security.”
This news comes just a couple of weeks after President Barack Obama expanded the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in Hawaii.
