“This is the year to stop the decline of the ocean’s health”

“With every breath we take, we are connected to the ocean,” says UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, Ambassador Peter Thomson. Ahead of the UN Ocean Conference taking place in Lisbon this month, we catch up with him about the current state of the ocean and why this year will be critical to turn the tide to improving its health.

Why is the ocean’s health in trouble?

“Rising carbon emissions are making the ocean more acidic, weakening its ability to sustain life underwater and on land. Plastic waste is choking the ocean. And if we continue on our current track, more than half of the world’s marine species may stand on the brink of extinction by 2100.

Solutions exist to restore the health of the ocean, but they will require action from all parts of society, from world leaders down to every one of us.

There can be no healthy planet without a healthy ocean, and the ocean’s health is measurably in decline.”

How can we make 2022 the year to stop the decline of the ocean’s health?

“If we are to halt the decline in the ocean’s health, the year 2022 presents the international community an unparalleled opportunity for decisive ocean action.

Six international gatherings are taking place this year, which taken together can really stop the decline.

Held earlier this spring in Nairobi, the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA5) consensually agreed to begin negotiations for a binding global treaty to end plastic pollution.

Secondly, the World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference, to be held in mid-June in Geneva, where after two decades of negotiation, the WTO has the ability to ban harmful fisheries subsidies.

Thirdly, this year’s resumption of the Intergovernmental Conference on Marine Biodiversity Beyond Areas of National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) presents the opportunity to conclude a robust and operable treaty for governance of the high seas, thereby safeguarding one of the planet’s most critical global commons.

Fourthly, the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Conference of the Parties (COP15) to be held later this year in Kunming, holds the promise of the adoption of a new target to protect 30% of the planet by 2030.

Fifthly, we have the UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the governments of Kenya and Portugal, in Lisbon, 27 June to 1 July, where we will launch a great fleet of innovative, science-based solutions. These solutions will be carried forward in well-funded partnerships, representing effective implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 to conserve and sustainably use the ocean’s resources.

And lastly, at the UN Climate Change Conference 2022 (UNFCCC COP27), in Sharm-El-Sheik in November, we must all deliver on the ambition and political will for the climate adaptation and finance required to bend the curve in the direction of security, equity and sustainability.”

What do you want to say to everyday people out there who want to be part of efforts to save the ocean?

“Listen, the ocean is critical for our survival. It gives us oxygen, provides us with food and livelihoods. It stabilises our climate, absorbing most of the heat trapped in the Earth’s system. Billions of humans, animals and plants rely on a healthy ocean.

You can take ocean action by making a voluntary commitment and registering it in the online database. Also, make your voice heard in your community and let your political leaders know that you care about ocean issues. You can also join the conversation online, using the hashtag #SaveOurOcean.

Let us all commit to reversing the decline in the health of the ocean and redressing our relationship with Nature to one of respect and balance. Let us do this for our children and grandchildren, that they may live the good lives we wish for them.”