Our ocean
At around 360 million square kilometers, the ocean covers around 71% of the Earth's surface and contains 97% of our planet's water (1.35 billion cubic kilometers). 95% of the ocean is still unexplored, 91% of species have yet to be classified and 75% of the seabed has yet to be mapped at high resolution. Scientists estimate that the ocean's biodiversity is between 1 and 2 million species, with millions more bacteria, other microbes and viruses.
The habitats in the ocean are very different, from tropical coral reefs to the icy poles, from mangroves in shallow water to the deep sea; each habitat is characterized by its specific light conditions, temperature, depth and salinity.
The ocean never rests, its movement is driven by the rotation of the earth, the tides, the wind, the temperature and its salinity. The temperature of the ocean ranges from 30 ºC at the surface to -1 ºC at the sea floor. At the hydrothermal vents, water at temperatures of up to 400 °C enters the ocean; the high pressure at these depths prevents the water from boiling.
Its importance
The ocean produces between 50 and 80% of the Earth's oxygen, absorbs about 93% of the excess heat caused by climate change (making it warmer and expanding) and absorbs about 23% of carbon dioxide emissions, making it more acidic.
The OECD estimates that the annual market value of all marine and coastal resources and industries will reach USD 3 trillion by 2030 - equivalent to the seventh largest economy in the world. In a 2015 study, the WWF estimated the value of marine resources at 24 trillion US dollars.
More than 3 billion people live from the ocean, and more than 350 million jobs are linked to it. Almost 2.4 billion people, around 40% of the world's population, live within 100 km of the coast.
97% of our communications are currently handled by more than 400 submarine cables with a length of over 1.2 million kilometers (and rising). 90% of goods are transported by a fleet of almost 100,000 ships of 100 gross tons or more, registered in over 150 countries, employing over a million seafarers and carrying cargo all over the world. Marine tourism, from surfing to restaurants and hotels to cruise ships, accounts for more than 80 % of tourism and is estimated to grow by 114 billion euros annually.
We are harming the ocean
Our climate change harms the ocean the most, because it:
heats the ocean massively,
causes the sea level to rise,
melts the polar ice,
is causing the death of almost all coral reefs,
makes the ocean increasingly acidic,
causes weather extremes with increasingly extreme storms
and leads to more frequent and, for many organisms, deadly heat waves in the sea.
Humans are overfishing fish populations and are still using destructive fishing practices, these
are causing fish stocks to dwindle,
destroy large areas of seabed and their entire ecosystems.
Humans are using the ocean as a garbage dump and it is growing every day. Every year, around 11 million tons of pollution enter the ocean from land or ships:
Plastic and discarded or lost fishing nets, sewage, eternal chemicals and oil,
The ocean is currently fighting a hopeless battle against humanity's waste.
The consequences: Plastic waste kills more than 1 million seabirds, 100,000 marine mammals and countless sea turtles and fish every year. As more and more pesticides, fertilizers and chemicals are released into the ocean, the area of dead zones where marine life is suffocating is increasing dramatically.
We are also harming the sea with a concert of sounds that are unmistakable and sometimes deadly for marine mammals, such as the propulsion of ships and military and civilian echo systems, as well as the sounds of massive pile driving for offshore energy, military explosions in the course of warfare or the detonation of historical munitions.
But it is not yet too late:
Humans have understood their massive harmful impact on the ocean in its true dimension too late and ignored it for too long. Now it is high time not only to stop all damage immediately but also, if possible, to restore ecosystems that have already been destroyed.
Our ocean could largely recover if we change our behavior now:
by reducing greenhouse gases through the massive and immediate use of renewable energies,
a radical stop to further pollution, for example through regenerative agriculture and complete purification of our wastewater, including the renunciation of eternal chemicals,
stopping the extraction of raw materials from the ocean and preventing the planned extraction of raw materials from the ocean.
We can keep the ocean supportive of life by:
Establish an extensive and cleverly networked system of protected areas,
initiate and promote the restoration of coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass beds and kelp forests,
to restore marine regions that have already been destroyed, such as coral reefs and seagrass beds or oxygen-free dead zones.
Our ocean needs us:
Action is needed at all levels and by all. Every voice counts from people living near or far from the ocean, from young and old, indigenous communities, local communities, NGOs, businesses, regional and international organizations and states, from artisanal fishermen to large shipping companies, from plastic producers to waste pickers, from educators to heads of state. Only when everyone works together can we take real steps for the ocean.
Every action from individuals, associations and groups that clean up a beach to the economy, which has to come up with new business models on how to create value in the ocean without polluting or destroying it. A state that bans mining in its waters should be encouraged.
All measures that lead to a healthy ocean count. First and foremost, political framework conditions must be created for an uncompromising circular economy so that the ocean cannot be further damaged by human influences and we can still benefit from it economically.