According to the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), ocean warming, acidification, and oxygen depletion are expected to escalate throughout the 21st century, with their rates largely determined by future carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.
Despite this, scientists, governments, and communities are still working to understand the scale and complexity of the damage these compounding threats are causing to the world’s most unexplored, unprotected, and critically important ecosystems.
The oceans may cover over 70% of the Earth’s surface, but how often do we think about their immense importance? The oceans are not just large masses of water; they are the foundation of life on our planet, and their health affects every living organism, from the smallest plankton to humans.
World Oceans Day, celebrated annually on June 8th, serves as a vital reminder of the profound importance of our oceans. This year, the day focused on “Catalysing Action for Our Ocean & Climate” with the aim to make the link between oceans, climate change and resilience. In 2025, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) will focus on the theme “Our Ocean, Our Obligation, Our Opportunity,” highlighting the vital role oceans play in global trade, environmental balance, and the economy.
The ocean is under severe environmental stress
The oceans, vital for regulating Earth’s climate and absorbing CO2, face significant threats from human activity. Rising CO2 levels from industrial emissions are driving ocean acidification, weakening marine ecosystems like coral reefs and impacting species dependent on stable pH levels.
According to European Environment Agency, rising carbon dioxide levels, increasing global temperatures, and declining oxygen levels in Europe’s seas are intensifying the stress on marine ecosystems. The ocean has absorbed 91% of the heat from greenhouse gas emissions and around 30% of carbon emissions. This has led to the “deadly trio” of ocean acidification, sea warming, and deoxygenation, which together are accelerating biodiversity loss and disrupting marine life and ecosystem functions, echoing conditions that triggered past mass extinction events.
Overfishing, pollution, and plastic waste further degrade the health of the seas, threatening biodiversity. Climate change exacerbates these pressures by warming ocean waters, which accelerates ice melt, disrupts weather patterns, and raises sea levels. As the ocean absorbs excess heat and carbon, it is nearing its capacity to buffer these impacts, making it increasingly vulnerable to further degradation.
Despite this, the ocean is crucial in controlling climate and weather systems. It absorbs carbon at a rate 50 times higher than the atmosphere, making it one of the planet’s most powerful carbon sinks. In essence, the ocean is protecting humanity from even more severe climate consequences!
Did you know?
- Despite its crucial impact, the ocean is mentioned just once in the 7,300-word Paris Agreement
- UN SDG 14: Life Below Water remains the least funded of all the 17 UN SDGs
- If all plastic waste in the ocean were collected, it would fill 5 million shipping containers.
Time for action
Several global initiatives are spearheading efforts to protect and restore our oceans. For example:
- The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) is advancing solutions for a more prosperous and resilient future by balancing economic growth with ocean health.
- The Global Ocean Alliance (GOA) plays a pivotal role in advocating ambitious ocean conservation actions, including the 30by30 ocean target, which seeks to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF).
- Meanwhile, the Friends of Ocean Action, a coalition of leaders from business, civil society, and science, is actively accelerating ocean-based solutions through the Ocean Action Agenda at the World Economic Forum.
- Another key effort is the International Blue Carbon Initiative, a global program dedicated to conserving and restoring coastal ecosystems, which are crucial for mitigating climate change, enhancing biodiversity, and supporting human wellbeing.
Our future depends on the ocean’s fate. As the UN once noted: Life itself came from the ocean.