International Waters — the common heritage of all humanity

The deep blue waters of the Earth are important to all of us, so no one person owns them.

#flathal #flatstanleyproject @#internationalwaters

When we first sail out of a port it feels pretty obvious we are in their waters. We are within sight of land, often local residents are out on their boats, fishing, and watching the big cruise ship depart.

Among passengers there are lots of myths about when we leave the “territorial waters” of a country—the water that they “own”, the Flat Friends think of it like their driveway. It isn’t part of the house, and most people don’t live on their driveway, but they still own it, and we still treat it with respect.

International waters, also known as “the high seas” are a place no one person or people is responsible for, instead everyone takes a bit of ownership towards keeping it clean, and protecting it, not just for ourselves, but for everyone.