The ocean is not just a victim of environmental decline—it is a foundation of global development. From climate resilience to food security and poverty reduction, ocean health has become a key barometer of our ability to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Four weeks ago in Nice, something shifted. The third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) was not a typical gathering of marine scientists and environmentalists. Finance ministers sat alongside fisheries managers. Development agencies shared tables with conservation groups. The message was clear: the ocean is now a cornerstone of the global agenda.
This broad participation reflects a new reality. If the ocean supports everything—from nutrition to employment, climate stability to cultural heritage—why do we still treat it as optional in our development strategies? The answer matters more than we think, because what we do for the ocean today will determine whether we can fulfill promises to end poverty, feed the world, and build a sustainable future for all.
The Ocean Is Development
The numbers tell a story that should reshape how we think about the ocean. The ocean economy generates between $3 and $6 trillion annually—if it were a country, it would be the fifth-largest economy in the world. It provides over 260 million jobs and supports 600 million livelihoods. These are not abstract statistics—they represent coastal families in Kenya relying on mangrove restoration for income, Thai fishers managing community-run crab stocks, and Caribbean women processing fish to feed their families.
Ocean-based foods provide 17% of the world’s animal protein, serving as a primary protein source for over 3.2 billion people. Small-scale fisheries, often run by women, account for 40% of global catches and 90% of employment in the sector. Ending hunger means protecting the ocean.
The ocean is also our largest natural carbon sink. It absorbs about 30% of global CO₂ emissions and over 90% of excess heat from greenhouse gases, stabilizing weather and precipitation worldwide. Blue carbon ecosystems—mangroves and seagrasses—sequester carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical forests while protecting coasts and supporting fisheries.
The ocean can also advance gender equality. In many coastal regions, women are the backbone of fisheries, running small businesses, preserving traditional knowledge, and playing key roles in processing and marketing. Ocean action that invests in women and removes systemic barriers strengthens entire communities.
Undermining Our Own Foundation
If the ocean is essential for sustainable development, protecting it must be a top priority. Yet, we continue to do the opposite. Overfishing, pollution, acidification, and destructive fishing practices are eroding the ocean’s ability to support human well-being. Only 8.6% of the ocean is designated as a protected area, and less than 3% is fully protected. We keep demanding more from the ocean while giving it less space, time, and resources to recover.
The human cost is staggering. Every day, 20,000 children—mostly from coastal communities—are displaced by floods and storms. Schools and clinics are disrupted, food sources lost. These children face higher risks of dropping out, malnutrition, and diseases such as cholera and dengue. In Tuvalu, which may be the first country submerged by rising seas, a third of the population has already applied for climate visas to Australia.
Economic consequences are equally severe. When sargassum blooms choke Caribbean beaches, schools evacuate due to toxic gases, tourism operators struggle, and fishing communities lose livelihoods. An environmental problem quickly becomes a public health crisis, economic collapse, and development emergency.
As Sir David Attenborough recently said: “After almost 100 years on the planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.” He is right. We cannot end poverty, ensure food security, or combat climate change while degrading the ocean. The SDGs are interconnected aspirations—they rise and fall together.
What Works and Needs Scaling
The good news? We are not starting from zero. We already know what works.
Indigenous peoples and local communities are leading the way. In Colombia, the Afro-Caribbean Raizal community partners with the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, co-founded by UNEP, to invest in sustainable aquaculture, organic agriculture, and ecotourism while protecting one of the Caribbean’s most biodiverse marine regions. They are not just beneficiaries—they are architects of conservation, bringing centuries of traditional knowledge to modern challenges.
Finance is starting to follow. Sustainable blue economy finance principles, developed by UNEP, now guide over 70 banks and insurers toward investments that support both ocean health and economic returns. At the recent Blue Economy and Finance Forum ahead of UNOC3, new financial commitments reached €8.7 billion. The One Ocean Financing Mechanism, supported by UNEP, is being designed to unlock billions more from ocean-dependent industries.
Worldwide, maritime challenges are turning into opportunities. In the Caribbean, local businesses convert sargassum into biofuels, fertilizers, and skincare products, creating jobs while reducing environmental pressure. In the UAE, seagrass restoration provides habitat for the world’s second-largest dugong population, supporting sustainable tourism and fisheries. Efforts under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration demonstrate how ocean restoration can support both biodiversity and economic growth.
A new Global Biodiversity Framework beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), just a dozen ratifications from entry into force, will significantly facilitate biodiversity protection in international waters. Alongside momentum to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, we are building ambitious ocean governance to match the scale of the challenge.
The Real Choice
This is not about the ocean in isolation—it is about whether we will achieve the SDGs. You cannot fight climate change while losing carbon-absorbing ecosystems. You cannot end poverty while degrading ocean ecosystems that support 600 million livelihoods. You cannot ensure food security while destroying fisheries that feed 3.2 billion people. You cannot empower women while excluding them from decisions about the marine resources they depend on.
SDG 14 (Life Below Water) is not just another goal—it underpins all others. The ocean connects every other goal, just as it connects every part of our planet.
We have the knowledge, tools, and increasingly, financial mechanisms to make this work. What we need now is political will: to treat ocean action as development action, to invest in marine protection as economic policy, and to recognize that healthy seas are prerequisites for healthy societies.
Momentum is building. Civil society is taking the lead. Businesses are scaling up. Indigenous knowledge is central. Countries are ratifying treaties, funding initiatives, and expanding marine protected areas.
What we do for the ocean today will shape the world we leave for future generations. After all, we are all linked by a blue planet, sustained by the same life-giving seas, and bound by a shared responsibility to protect them.
