The state of the ocean 2024

Dr Anjani Ganase presents the high points of the recent report released by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of Unesco. The report collects the observations and data of some 150 member states for the benefit of a world linked by one ocean.

The years 2021-2030 have been designate the Ocean Decade by the UN. The up-to-date report released this week in Paris by Unesco provides alarming evidence of a growing ocean crisis.

However, there is hope in action, as technologies and international collaborations allow developing countries to move closer toward sustainable management and conservation of their ocean resources.

A healthy and resilient ocean

The ocean is warming at an unprecedented rate and the impacts to marine life and ecosystems are clear.

The upper 2000 metres of the ocean has been warming since the 1960s with warming increasing in the last 20 years.

Warming will continue in the future, and will not be reversible for the next 100-1,000 years.

Sea-level rise, combined with the impacts of more intense storms, is also being observed.

Less obvious are the impacts of ocean acidification as the oceans continue to absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide. The visible impacts of ocean acidification may not be seen until the end of this century – 75 years, or a lifetime from now. There is significant regional variation and some areas already devastated by ocean acidification. Monitoring of ocean acidification becomes more complicated at the coasts, given the influence of land runoff, freshwater influx, biological and human activities influencing the carbon chemistry.

However, some studies have shown that ocean acidification in coastal areas may be happening at a faster rate. This becomes a real concern for food security as crustaceans, shelled organisms and coral become impaired by ocean acidification.

The latest report assessed the importance of active marine protected areas (MPA) and the implementation of marine spatial planning (MSP).

The target set by the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity is to protect 30 per cent of the ocean by 2030, and the establishment of MPAs was used as a benchmark.

To date, MPAs cover nine per cent of the ocean, leaving large areas in need of protection. About 70 per cent of all endangered species can be found in MPAs, which are biodiversity hotspots. These areas contribute significantly to food security and ocean health.

Of concern are the marine ecosystems that contribute to carbon storage, and should be protected for this purpose. Unfortunately, mangroves and seagrass beds have declined globally by 20-35 per cent in the last 50 years.

The purpose of MSP is to manage the chronic pressures on critical marine ecosystems and includes the designation of MPAs.

Since the last report (2022), about 126 countries/ territories have started to engage in marine spatial planning (20 per cent increase) with the largest increases occurring in Africa and Oceania followed by the Caribbean, including Trinidad and Tobago.

However, only 45 countries have nationally approved plans, a critical component of implementation.

Trinidad and Tobago Newsday, 10 July 2024. Article.

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