The Decade of the Ocean: The UN’s Goals for a Better Sea
By Alexandra Smith
As we enter into the first year of the decade that is 2021-2030, the United Nations hopes to conjure up a solid plan for saving the oceans. In 2017, they announced their United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. This project is a call to action for the world to collectively work towards solving complex problems regarding the ocean, and it aims to ensure that science can support countries’ management of the ocean by 2030.
The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science. Source: UNESCO
Some see 2030 as the last viable deadline for implementing a strong, sustainable plan for our oceans. This Decade of Ocean Science (DOS) is imperative to restructure the science-policy interface and strengthen ocean management for the benefit of all. While we already have some knowledge and data about the ocean, there are significant gaps. The UN plans to gather more data and better understand/utilize it so that decision making and policies are the soundest they can be. Currently, many countries benefit from cutting-edge ocean technologies, however, there is a discrepancy between less technologically advanced countries. Hopefully, by sharing information equally and investing in novel technologies, the DOS will better support vulnerable communities as well as the growing Blue Economy - the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth. At its core, the Decade of Ocean Science “offers a framework to strengthen connections and weave partnerships between all communities working to study, conserve and sustainably use the ocean and its resources”.
The DOS supports the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which provides 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), of which number 14 is “Life Below Water”. SDG 14 urges countries to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development”. Within SDG 14, there are targets that include reducing marine pollution, ending overfishing, and addressing ocean acidification to name a few.
Sustainable Development Goal 14 - Life Below Water. Source: Nereus Program
As of right now, not a single country of the 193 UN member states has achieved their Sustainable Development Goal, though some countries are getting closer. A small percent of countries including Mexico, Peru, Iran, and Norway, are one step away from their goals being achieved, but “challenges remain”. Only four countries are on track to achieve their SDG by 2030 - Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and the United Arab Emirates. Massive work needs to be done in the remaining 189 countries.
Countries like Germany have implemented a plan to reach the SDG by 2030, and scientists are beginning to call for more research/translating existing research into practical solutions.
Climate change and ocean health are inextricably linked. In fact, the ocean is disproportionately affected by the changing climate. Warming waters, sea-level rise, and ocean acidification by CO2 are all a direct result of human-produced greenhouse gas emissions. This degradation of the marine environment has grave consequences - coral reefs dying, fish stocks being driven to the ground, and the livelihood of many people, namely those in less-developed countries, threatened. With this in mind, the benefits of investing in climate change, and therefore ocean science/infrastructure right now far outweigh the cost of nothing being done. With optimal policies in place and taxing carbon emissions, up to US$700 billion could be saved.
The UN’s Decade of the Ocean along with the Sustainable Development Goals are an indispensable step towards conserving, protecting, and effectively managing our oceans by 2030. Other organizations have also set 2030 plans in place, such as the IUCN who, in 2016, called for the protection of 30% of the Earth’s oceans by 2030. There is still a lot to be accomplished in the next decade and significant challenges still remain for countries to reach their goals, however, hope still remains as we continue through the decade of the ocean.
References
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Sustainable Development Report 2020, dashboards.sdgindex.org/map/goals/SDG14.
“The Ocean and Climate Change.” IUCN, 8 May 2020, www.iucn.org/resources/issues-briefs/ocean-and-climate-change.
Unger, Sebastian, et al. “Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal for the Oceans.” Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS), Feb. 2017, www.iddri.org/sites/default/files/import/publications/iass-iddri-tmg_sdg-14-oceans.pdf.
“What Is the Blue Economy?” World Bank, June 2017, www.worldbank.org/en/news/infographic/2017/06/06/blue-economy.