Why is it important to protect the ocean?

The ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface and is home to an incredible diversity of life.

The ocean plays a crucial role in regulating our climate, providing food and livelihoods for billions of people, maintaining global biodiversity and sustaining the marine creatures we love.

However, the health of our ocean is under serious threat from a range of human activities.

Protecting our ocean helps us thrive

A healthy ocean underpins life on Earth, and is critical to sustain marine ecosystems, climate regulation and billions of people.

Illustration depicting the interdependence of terrestrial and marine ecosystems. The upper half of the image shows land animals, including a giraffe, elephant, and deer, standing among trees. The lower half of the image represents the ocean, featuring silhouettes of a whale, indicating the connection between land and marine life and the importance of protecting both ecosystems.

Biodiversity

The ocean helps sustain life on Earth and is home to some of the most diverse animals and ecosystems.

Illustration showing the impact of carbon dioxide (CO2) on ocean life. The image features a circular view of an underwater scene with fish swimming around CO2 bubbles, a coral reef, and a beach with palm trees in the background. The scene highlights the issue of ocean acidification caused by increased CO2 levels, which affects marine ecosystems and coral health.

Climate regulation

The ocean generates at least half of the planet’s oxygen and holds 50 times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere.

Illustration depicting the relationship between urban and natural environments. The image shows a semi-circular landscape with buildings and trees on the upper half, representing an urban area with green spaces. The lower half illustrates rivers flowing into the ocean, a jellyfish, and a fish, symbolizing the connection between land and marine ecosystems. The sun and clouds in the sky indicate a balanced, harmonious environment.

Food and livelihoods

Billions of people rely on the ocean to survive and thrive, as a source of food and for their economies.

What are the biggest threats facing our ocean?

Illustration depicting the concept of global warming and climate change. The image shows the Earth partially melted and submerged in water, with steam rising from the surface. The continents are visible on the globe, and clouds are scattered around, emphasizing the warming and melting effects of climate change on the planet.

Climate change

Illustration depicting the issue of overfishing in commercial fishing. The image shows a fishing vessel pulling a net filled with silhouettes of various marine animals, mostly fish.

Overfishing and bycatch

Illustration highlighting the issue of plastic pollution in oceans. The image shows three marine animals—a sea turtle, a whale, and a clownfish—trapped inside plastic bottles. This visual metaphor emphasises the impact of plastic waste on marine life and the urgent need to address plastic pollution.

Plastic, chemical and noise pollution

Climate change

Climate change causes ocean warming, acidification, and rising sea levels. These changes disrupt marine ecosystems, alter animals’ migratory patterns, and affect their prey availability.

According to the Climate Council, the ocean has absorbed a staggering 93% of excess heat trapped by greenhouse gas emissions, which means the ocean is absorbing excess heat energy equivalent to five Hiroshima bomb explosions every second.[1]

Overfishing and bycatch

Overfishing occurs when fish are caught faster than they can reproduce, leading to the decline of vital species and destabilising the entire food web. Overfishing is a global issue, caused predominantly by poor management in fisheries and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Bycatch, the unintended capture of non-target animals through fishing, further exacerbates the problem by causing unnecessary mortality and endangering marine biodiversity. According to the International Whaling Commission, ~300,000 whales and dolphins die every year after being entangled in fishing gear.  These practices harm marine life and jeopardise the livelihoods of millions who depend on fishing for food and income.[2]

Plastic, chemical and noise pollution

Plastic, chemical, and noise pollution pose severe threats to ocean health by contaminating marine environments and disrupting marine life. Plastic pollution, which includes microplastics, harms marine animals through ingestion and entanglement, leading to injury and death. Chemical pollution from agricultural runoff, industrial discharges, and oil spills introduce toxins that accumulate in the food web, causing long-term health issues for marine animals. Noise pollution from shipping, oil and gas drilling, and other human activities interferes with marine mammals’ communication, navigation, and feeding, leading to stress and behavioural changes. These pollutants collectively degrade marine ecosystems, threatening biodiversity and the livelihoods of communities dependent on healthy oceans.[3]