| Summary: | This is the final version. Available from CCICED via the links in this record The ocean is fundamental to the health of the global ecosystem supporting life on earth, including the survival of human beings. In addition, the marine ecosystem provides numerous benefits for people and society, including food, recreation, transportation routes, aesthetic environment, a steady supply of clean water, protection from natural hazards such as floods and storm surges, as well as many other present and potential benefits. Indeed, humans are inextricably interconnected to the ocean. The choices we make and the actions we take in managing and governing the use of the oceans have profound and lasting impacts on human well-being and societal development. Environmental damage and degradation of marine ecosystems may have great social costs. The oceans face a constantly increasing number of threats, in particular habitat destruction, (coastal) pollution, overfishing, climate change, hypoxia, and ocean acidification. For example, by absorbing more carbon dioxide (CO2), the ocean has undergone increasing acidification. Rising anthropogenic nutrient discharge has resulted in widely distributed coastal hypoxia zones, often accompanied by severe coastal acidification. Significant changes to the world’s oceans —such as sea-level rise—have been recorded as a result of climate change. Through appropriate actions, humanity can contribute to slowing down the ongoing changes. This will, however, require fundamental transformations in all aspects of society — how food is grown, land is used, goods are transported, and how the energy that supports our lives and economies is produced. It will require a joint effort between governments, businesses, civil society, youth, and academia to make this shift. Clear and directed actions are needed to limit the threats and minimize the impacts to the oceans, and thereby lay the foundation for the oceans’ ability to continue to serve as the basis of human life. The recent rapid development of China’s ...
|
|---|