UN: The future of humanity depends on protecting the ocean

8 June 2026 Climate and environment

However, for a long time now, it has been under threat. Moreover, we are not only talking about the destruction of the world ocean ecosystem, but also about the survival of humanity itself.

About 550 experts from 86 countries became authors of a 1600-page report, describing in detail the problems faced by the ocean. This scientific work provides humanity with knowledge necessary for the protection of the planet. The document received the title “Assessment of the State of the World Ocean.”

The ocean is important for everyone

As experts emphasize, the ocean determines the daily life of every person, even if they live far from the coast.

• It stabilizes the climate by absorbing most of the planet’s excess heat and greenhouse gases. Without this cooling effect, we would face extreme weather anomalies that would impact food systems and supply chains.
• He feeds humanity. When fish stocks are depleted due to climate change or poaching and supply chains collapse, prices rise. And not only for seafood, but also for many other food products whose production and delivery depend on the coastal economy.
• He supports our health – both mental and physical. The ocean provides us with medicines and produces a significant portion of the oxygen we breathe.
• He supports the economy by providing trillions of dollars in the field of global trade, tourism, and supports job creation.

The load on the ocean is rapidly increasing

Humanity is radically changing marine ecosystems. In 2024, the Earth’s population reached 8.2 billion people, with 37 percent of them living within 100 km of the coast.

This inevitably leads to the concentration of human and economic activity in coastal zones. Consequently, the scale of natural resource extraction grows, infrastructure expands, volumes of waste increase, and the natural habitat degrades.

Simultaneously, shelf development is being activated: wind power plants, deepwater oil and gas platforms, laying of cables and pipelines along the seabed are changing the landscape already far from the shore.

Climate change is the main threat to the ocean

Data on ocean warming and sea level rise look threatening:

• The sea level is rising twice as fast as before. Due to the melting of glaciers and the thermal expansion of water, the rates of rise have increased from 1.9 mm per year (until 2015) to 4.3 mm per year in 2023.
• The temperature in the Arctic is rising four times faster than the global average.
• Hypoxia zones (or “dead zones”), where the oxygen level is so low that most marine inhabitants cannot survive there, now occupy 4.5 million square kilometers.

Bio-diversity is almost disappearing throughout the entire marine range

Marine flora and fauna are in a critical state. And here is one of the most striking examples: since the 1970s, coral reefs in the Caribbean basin have declined by approximately 80 percent. If global warming exceeds the pre-industrial level by 1.5 degrees Celsius, the planet could lose up to 90 percent of all coral reefs.

The area of the most important coastal ecosystems – mangrove forests and seagrass beds – continues to decrease.

Due to rising temperatures, living organisms – from plankton to marine mammals – are migrating to the North and South Poles. At the same time, with changing ecological conditions, foreign (invasive) species are beginning to spread aggressively.

Pollution has become widespread

Marine pollution is reaching threatening levels. Every year, 52 million tons of plastic waste enter the ocean. According to estimates, the water contains 24 trillion microplastic particles, which affect more than 4,000 species of marine inhabitants.

Growth and chemical pollution: more than 4,000 compounds have been detected in seawater, included in the composition of medicines and personal hygiene products.

At the same time, the authors of the report note that in some regions the level of concentration of harmful substances, such as mercury, has decreased.

Food security under threat

Marine food systems are an important source of nutrition and livelihoods. The ocean provides 20 percent of the animal protein consumed by people worldwide.

Marine aquaculture continues to develop, having become a global industry with a turnover of 90 billion dollars. In addition, 121 million people are engaged in recreational and sport fishing, supporting the local economy and their own well-being.

Nevertheless, the stability of this system is under greater question. The report’s authors report a significant shift in fish stocks. Every year, from 8 to 14 million tons of fish are harvested through illegal and unregulated fishing, bringing the shadow economy from 9 to 17 billion dollars.

In addition, disease outbreaks, environmental pollution, and climatic stress threaten the long-term sustainability of fisheries and aquaculture.

Ocean economy is huge, but not yet ecological

The volume of the “blue economy” is estimated at 1.5 trillion dollars per year, and by 2030, according to forecasts, it will exceed 3 trillion.

Coastal and maritime tourism provides jobs for 174 million people.

Today, efforts are being made to assess and minimize the damage from oil and gas extraction on the shelf, as well as from shipping. The latter accounts for more than 80 percent of global trade, but it also makes a significant contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions.

Knowledge deficit

International cooperation in the field of ocean management is gaining momentum, but the existence of 57 different international agreements leads to fragmentation of actions.

Transition to a sustainable ocean economy is impossible without principles of justice and active consideration of the experience and traditions of indigenous peoples. Without this, it will be extremely difficult to restore the health of the ocean, ensure the well-being of coastal communities, and achieve balanced development.

There are still huge gaps in our knowledge about the ocean. As of 2025, only 27 percent of the seabed has been mapped. This means that deep-sea ecosystems, biological processes, and the cumulative effect of human activity are still poorly studied.

Decisions exist

The authors of the report propose many solutions. Among them are nature-oriented approaches, reduction of harmful emissions, and expansion of marine protected areas.

However, it is worth soberly evaluating the situation: even the complete restoration of the ocean ecosystem will allow achieving only about two percent of the global goals for mitigating the consequences of climate change. And this only emphasizes the inevitability of fundamental, systemic changes in the entire world economy.

The coming decade will be decisive, experts emphasize. Without swift and coordinated action at the global level, the state of the ocean will continue to deteriorate. And this will jeopardize the stability of the climate, biodiversity, food security, and the well-being of billions of people.