Goal 14 of 17 Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources.
The ocean drives the systems that make the planet habitable: it regulates temperature and chemistry, and supports livelihoods for more than three billion people who depend on marine and coastal biodiversity. Healthy oceans are also one of our strongest buffers against climate change, absorbing roughly 30 per cent of the carbon dioxide humans emit.
They are under pressure from every direction. About 30 per cent of fish stocks are exploited beyond sustainable levels, and the fraction of marine areas under effective protection is still far below the 10 per cent target. Ocean acidification has risen about 26 per cent since the beginning of the industrial revolution, and ocean heat and deoxygenation are increasing with every fraction of a degree of warming.
Plastic is the most visible symptom: an estimated 8 million tonnes enter the ocean each year, with an average of about 13,000 pieces of plastic litter in every square kilometre of sea. Plastic pollution is projected to nearly triple by 2040 unless production and waste are transformed.
Goal 14 asks for action on marine pollution, an end to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, community-based management of fishing rights, and conservation of coastal and marine areas through international law such as UNCLOS.