Ensuring a healthy and productive ocean that serves the whole planet, is a “collective responsibility” that can only be fulfilled by working together, the UN chief told a celebratory event marking World Oceans Day on Wednesday.
In his message, Secretary-General António Guterres recalled that the triple crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution, are threatening the health of the ocean, “on which we all ultimately depend”.
“Last month, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) revealed that four key climate indicators broke new records in 2021: sea level rise, ocean heat, ocean acidification, and greenhouse gas concentrations,” he stated.
The ocean produces more than 50 per cent of the planet’s oxygen, is the main source of sustenance for more than a billion people, and provides work through its industries for some 40 million employees.
“Yet, ocean resources and biodiversity are being undermined by human activities”, he warned.
He reminded that more than one-third of the world’s fish stocks are harvested at biologically unsustainable levels, a significant proportion of coral reefs have been destroyed, and coastal dead zones from land-based pollution are growing.
“Plastic pollution has reached the remotest islands and deepest ocean trenches,” Mr. Guterres said.
To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change, he flagged that “we urgently need collective action to revitalize the ocean.”
“That means finding a new balance in our relationship with the marine environment…working together with nature, not against it, and building inclusive and diverse partnerships across regions, sectors, and communities to collaborate creatively on ocean solutions.”