A NEWLY ratified treaty protecting marine life is expected to strengthen opposition to deep-sea mining ahead of this week’s UN climate summit in New York, said the Financial Times in a report on Sunday. The High Seas treaty will become international law in January after reaching the threshold of 60 ratifications on Friday, with Morocco joining the list of signatory countries. France, the only G7 country to have ratified the agreement, is spearheading a coalition of “ocean pioneer” states that have both ratified the treaty and oppose deep-sea mining. More countries are expected to ratify the treaty at this week’s New York summit coinciding with the leaders’ general assembly. The treaty calls for cooperation with the Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority, which has yet to approve mining in international waters.