24 trillion reasons why our oceans matter

Posté le 22 avril 2015

We are a water planet. As human beings that live on the 29% of the Earth that is land, it is easy to forget that our home is dominated by water – most of it salty, deep ocean.

We are a water planet.

As human beings that live on the 29% of the Earth that is land, it is easy to forget that our home is dominated by water – most of it salty, deep ocean.

It is also easy to forget that our oceans provide an incredible service, resource and financial benefit to humanity. A new report from WWF titled ‘Reviving the Ocean Economy’ brings into focus the tremendous value of our marine environment.

This aquatic nation is an economic engine that secures lives and livelihoods around the world. From the ocean we draw jobs, food and resources for manufacturing; it regulates weather patterns and it provides over half of the oxygen we breathe.

The report finds that the value of key ocean assets is conservatively estimated in the report to be at least US$24 trillion.

To put that into perspective, if you compared the ocean to the world’s 10 largest economies the ocean would rank seventh, behind the United States, China, Japan, Germany, France and the United Kingdom, and ahead of such economic powerhouses as Brazil, Russia and India, with an annual value of goods and services of US$2.5 trillion.

But the total value of the ocean’s resources is sinking fast.

The ocean’s health is declining due to local stresses such as habitat destruction, overfishing and pollution, as well as global phenomena such as rapid and unprecedented changes in ocean temperature resulting from climate change and increased acidity levels.

Madagascar’s fisheries industry, which in 2012 contributed 7 per cent of the country’s GDP, is already feeling the impact of growing pressures on the ocean. A history of overfishing and fishing of juvenile stocks, combined with recent impacts from climate change, have seen serious drops in catch sizes and total catch. Malagasy fishers must now work longer and harder for fewer and smaller fish.

“For years we have been sounding the alarm that the environment and ecosystems are at risk. But sometimes the science alone is an insufficient motivator,” says Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana, Country Director for WWF Madagascar. “The truth is that dollars move minds. That is why we have combined the evidence of serious environmental degradation with the economic case for urgent action.”

The report makes a clear, economic argument for immediate, critical action on climate change and other environmental concerns. And world leaders are starting to wake up to the costs that have accrued from ignoring the environment for so long.

“Madagascar has already made a strong commitment to one of the key action items in the report,” notes Ratsifandrihamanana referring to the President’s commitment to triple marine protected areas in Madagascar (Action 3) by 2020.

In total, the report identifies eight urgent, achievable actions that can turn the distressed ocean around and allow it to continue to meet the essential needs of humanity and nature. These eight recommendations can be seen below or in the summary report, which can be downloaded from the link on the right.

The threats to the ocean are well documented. Even the solutions are fairly well known. It is political and corporate will that remain elusive. We continue to take the ocean for granted, perhaps because the poor communities that are most dependent on ocean resources lack power and influence, and turtles do not vote.
However this new economic analysis, coupled with the scientific evidence, makes an undeniable case to move urgently beyond rhetoric to action.

So the next time the question is asked: “Why should we bother with things like coral reefs and the level of tuna stocks?” then here is the US$24 trillion answer.

8 Point Action Plan

ACTION 1   Ensure ocean recovery features strongly in the UN Post-2015 Agenda, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

ACTION 2   Listen to science and make the deep cuts in emissions that will prevent further increases in dangerous climate change. It is vital that the world signs on to an ambitious international agreement in Paris in December 2015 (COP21).

ACTION 3   Protect and effectively manage 10% of representative coastal and marine areas by 2020, increasing coverage to 30 per cent by 2030.

ACTION 4   Rebuild fish stocks to ecologically sustainable harvest levels and deal with the problem of illegal fishing.

ACTION 5   Create a “Blue Alliance” of concerned maritime countries to drive new global cooperation and investment for the ocean.

ACTION 6   Create a network of public-private partnerships that take into account the well-being of communities, ecosystems and business.

ACTION 7   Communities and countries must develop complete, transparent and public accounting of the benefits, goods and services that the ocean provides.

ACTION 8   Share knowledge more effectively and drive institutional collaboration to that problems can be understood and solutions applied.

Téléchargements

Reviving the Ocean Economy - Full Report

PDF

7.58 MB

Reviving the Ocean Economy - Summary

PDF

3.32 MB

Learn more about the value of the ocean and how we can Sustain Our Seas