Life Below Water

Goal 14 in action

The Sustainable Development Goal 14 says that healthy oceans and seas are essential to our existence. They cover 70 percent of our planet and we rely on them for food, energy and water. Yet, we have managed to do tremendous damage to these precious resources. We must protect them by eliminating pollution and overfishing and immediately start to responsibly manage and protect all marine life around the world.

The goals

Protect and Restore Ecosystems

By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans.

Picture of river in rainforest

Oceans are giant sponges

Picture of waterfall in rainforest

They absorb about 30% of the carbon dioxide that humans produce, helping to reduce the impact of climate change. Which is a blessing and a curse. Unfortunately, the increase in CO2 has caused ocean acidity to rise by about 26% since pre-industrial times. And this acidification is causing big problems for marine species like coral. In fact, about 20% of the world’s coral has already been destroyed – with no prospects for recovery.

The plastic problem

It’s hard to quantify precisely, but scientists estimate there are over 5 trillion pieces of plastic currently littering our oceans. Two decades ago, a vessel descended into the deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific. At a depth of 10,988m, it found a single plastic bag. According to scientists, the bag will take up to 1,000 years to break down.

Old tre in rainforest