Today the paper, “Ocean science, data, and services for the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals” was published in the Journal of Marine Policy. It discusses the importance of the ocean in the Earth system and thus in in achieving the UN SDG Goals and other international initiatives..
Video featuring authors of the paper, describing the key takeaways:
The authors include a collaboration of ocean advocay stalwarts and leading ocean-climate scientists. Ambassador Peter Thomson, is the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean. Peter M Haugan, is the Programme Director at Institute of Marine Research, Professor at Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen, Norway. Advisor to the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC of UNESCO). Karina von Schuckmann, is an oceanographer for Mercator Ocean international and she specializes in ocean climate monitoring. Elisabeth Holland, a renown climate scientist, is the Norway Pacific Chair in Oceans and Climate Change, University of South Pacific, Fiji.
The paper opens with a quote from ‘The outcome statement of the UN’s first Ocean Conference (UNOC) titled ‘Our ocean, our future’ underscoring the importance of the ocean for all life on Earth:
‘We are mobilized by a strong conviction that our ocean is critical to our shared future and common humanity in all its diversity. As leaders and representatives of our Governments, we are determined to act decisively and urgently, convinced that our collective action will make a meaningful difference to our people, to our planet and to our prosperity. We recognize that our ocean covers three quarters of our planet, connects our populations and markets and forms an important part of our natural and cultural heritage. It supplies nearly half the oxygen we breathe, absorbs over a quarter of the carbon dioxide we produce, plays a vital role in the water cycle and the climate system and is an important source of our planet’s biodiversity and of ecosystem services. It contributes to sustainable development and sustainable ocean-based economies, as well as to poverty eradication, food security and nutrition, maritime trade and transportation, decent work and livelihoods.’
Read Full article here
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104154