The importance of oceans in the UN Agenda

As SeaforChange, we have based our online newspaper on the importance of the ocean for life on our Planet. With this in mind, we will just go quickly over their importance in the UN agenda as can be seen by Goal 14.

Sustainable development goals and the oceans

The goal set out by the UN requires the protection of aquatic ecosystems by preventing overfishing, reducing marine pollution, addressing ocean acidification, and conserving marine and coastal areas. Therefore, the Goal also prioritizes the ocean’s impact on human lives, with targets to increase economic benefits to small island developing States (SIDS) and least developed countries (LDCs) from the sustainable use of marine resources, and to provide access for small-scale fishers to marine resources and markets.

Th crucial role of oceans on our lives

Hence, it is clear that oceans have a crucial role not only in our ecosystem, but also our society. One of the most important resources that it provides us with is food, the subject of SDG 2 (zero hunger). Ocean-based food products are also somehow connected with SDG 8 on economic growth. Unfortunately, with regards to the seafood industry, profit has damaged long-term sustainability. In some cases this has had disastrous effects for coastal economies, as we have mentioned in previous articles.

The ocean and climate change

However, the sea provides us with much more than food. It allows us to travel, it is a source of renewable energy, it plays an important role in the production of pharmaceuticals, and its beaches are the main attraction for many tourism industries around the world. It is an important source of global economic output. In any case, as climate change is causing sea levels to rise and many extreme weather events, there will be an increasing amount of climate refugees.

A vital source of life

While the ocean is a weapon of climate change, it also has a role in mitigating it. Indeed, it is full of microscopic organisms that act as producers of about 50% of the carbon of Earth and around 70% of atmospheric oxygen. It plays an important role in absorbing carbon emissions and is of great use as a resource for scientists searching for ways to combat climate change through biological innovation.

We need water to live, and not just tot drink it. All living things came from the ocean, and still today we rely on it. The importance of it for life on our Planet is clear. Without a healthy ocean, there is no sustainable future on this planet.