The world is on track to collectively fail to preserve LIFE BELOW WATER (SDG14)

The official conference website is very frank in its reflection over the status quo: «The science is clear – the ocean is facing unprecedented threats as a result of human activities. Its health and ability to sustain life will only get worse as the world population grows and human activities increase. If we want to address some of the most defining issues of our time such as climate change, food insecurity, diseases and pandemics, diminishing biodiversity, economic inequality and even conflicts and strife, we must act now to protect the state of our ocean».

The ocean indeed faces a multitude of threats, including the continued entry of 9 million tons of plastics into the ocean every year, exploration for new hydrocarbon resources in the seabed – which involves deploying seismic airguns that blast marine wildlife with unbearable noise -, and the overfishing of fish, which includes legal, illegal and unreported activities, every year. It is estimated that a third (34%) of all fish stocks are currently overfished. Equally concerning; the ocean is warming and acidifying at an alarming pace. Under continued warming, the Arctic will be practically ice-free during summer for the first time before 2050. The rise in global average sea level combined with the melting of the great ice sheets for which humans bear the overwhelming responsibility, is documented in the recent reports by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Notwithstanding, a majority of decision-makers, within governments and the private sector, address the crisis with sustained narratives such as the need for science-based innovative solutions and the need for more research. «No one questions the need for innovation and more robust research, but it increasingly appears that constant references to these elements may serve as an excuse for inaction. Technology and innovation are not enough, and we can’t solely depend on innovation to pull us out of the crisis that we have caused», says McLellan from OceanCare.

OceanCare has continuously urged decision-makers to take immediate action, including calling for:

• an end to all harmful subsidies for exploration and exploitation of fossil fuels, plastic production, and detrimental fishing practices;
• an immediate ban on all new fossil fuel exploration and exploitation activities and a binding phase-out plan for existing drilling operations;
• the reduction of vessel speed, in particular for the merchant fleet globally, to reduce GHG and noise emissions;
• measures to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible;
• to end plastic pollution, support and subsequently implement a robust, ambitious, effective and binding global legal instrument covering the full lifecycle of plastics, with clear reduction targets on plastic production.

«It is not yet too late to act. What is needed now is meaningful and bold action which is both measurable and enforceable. No one needs new objectives set in 2030 to be reached by 2050 when we are about to fail achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and targets we already have now», concludes McLellan. OceanCare sees this conference as a critical opportunity for world leaders to recognise that the future of humanity depends upon the future of our oceans.