Kategorie: News
The world faces a fundamental decision on how to protect the oceans
Just a few days before the start of the third UN Ocean Conference in Nice (9-13 June 2025), marine conservation organisations are sounding the alarm: the state of the world's oceans has continued to deteriorate since the last conference in 2022 - despite numerous international promises and action plans to preserve and restore marine ecosystems.
The latest scientific assessments paint a worrying picture that calls for decisive action more urgently than ever.
• Marine heatwaves are increasing, the search for new oil and gas deposits in the ocean continues, destructive fishing practices persist and plastic pollution continues to rise.
• The third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) will be a crucial test of governments‘ commitment to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 14 (’Life Below Water"), while the window of opportunity for effective marine protection is narrowing.
• OceanCare delivers the petition ‘Because Our Planet Is Blue’ with over 110,000 signatures to Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Oceans, on World Oceans Day, emphasising the public's expectations of member state delegations.
Vague formulations and declarations of intent dominate
The conference is the critical touchstone as to whether governments will succeed in correcting the course they have taken in order to achieve the ambitious goal of Sustainable Development Goal 14 (‘Life Below Water’) by 2030. However, the draft final declaration available so far gives little hope of substantial progress. Instead of concrete measures and ambitious goals, vague formulations and declarations of intent dominate. The political momentum is lagging behind the scientific necessities, which many environmental groups fear: The window of opportunity for effective marine protection is closing faster than those responsible would like to admit.
‘This summit is essentially a test of political will,’ explains Fabienne McLellan, Executive Director of OceanCare. ‘Since the Lisbon conference in 2022, conditions in the oceans have demonstrably deteriorated - coral reefs are dying, biodiversity is being lost, marine pollution and rising temperatures are increasing. We hear good words, but there is a lack of action. The coming days in Nice are crucial to get concrete, transformative action underway.’ She adds: ‘We will be there to make the voices of science and civil society heard. There is still time to accelerate the change in awareness with courage and determination, because the last 5 to 10 years are the decisive ones for sustainable marine protection.’
World Oceans Day on 8 June - ‘Preserve what sustains us’
This year's theme for World Oceans Day on 8 June - ‘Preserve what sustains us’ - underlines the existential importance of healthy marine ecosystems. Without immediate action, we risk not only biodiversity but the collective survival of our species: the oceans produce over half of our oxygen, regulate the global climate and absorb excess heat from greenhouse gases. But the reality is alarming: Global warming is driving marine heatwaves to new record highs, millions of tonnes of plastic waste are entering the oceans every year, and the risks to whales and other marine mammals from shipping traffic continue to rise.
In the midst of these worrying trends, OceanCare is launching the ‘Because Our Planet Is Blue’ campaign on this very day, which has collected over 113,500 signatures. The aim is to increase the pressure on the political level and push through concrete, far-reaching measures. The focus is on six demands that are essential to curb the dramatically increasing marine crisis:
• A complete ban on offshore oil and gas extraction and a long-term phase-out of fossil fuels in the marine environment
• Mandatory speed limits for ships to protect sensitive habitats and marine mammals
• An end to destructive fishing methods, especially bottom trawling
• Concrete, binding rules against plastic pollution that include the entire life cycle of plastics
• A global moratorium on deep-sea mining to prevent irreversible impacts
• Ensuring effective protection and restoration of degraded marine habitats
OceanCare will closely follow the negotiations, liaise directly with government delegations and provide an independent assessment of whether the conference takes the necessary steps. What is at stake is nothing less than the chance to reverse the current negative spiral and realise far-reaching marine protection and sustainable use of resources.
Background
The third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) will take place in Nice from 9 to 13 June. The conference in Nice is the most important international platform to date for harmonising global prosperity and the health of the oceans. With a focus on implementing Sustainable Development Goal 14 (‘Life below water’), the aim is to review progress made to date and agree on new measures. However, current assessments show that global efforts to achieve these goals are falling far short of expectations. CO₂ levels in the oceans are still rising, marine heatwaves are becoming more frequent, and plastic pollution and harmful fishing practices are increasing worldwide. Despite numerous agreements, such as national marine parks and protective measures, many countries are barely moving out of defensive mode, often due to massive conflicts of interest and economic interests. This is leading to an increasingly clear gap between political declarations of intent and actual implementation.
The year 2025 is a decisive turning point: only if binding, globally coordinated measures are put in place will there be a chance of averting the impending ecological catastrophe. The ‘Because Our Planet Is Blue’ campaign sets out clear demands that require the highest priority from the international community in order to protect our oceans and secure their vital functions for the long term.