Global ocean sustainability concerns will rise

Significance

Some progress is being made, with improving ocean health receiving increasing political attention in relation to issues such as food security, climate regulation and economic livelihoods, though not yet on the scale needed. International negotiations to balance ocean conservation with resource use have also been disrupted by the pandemic, slowing diplomatic progress.

Impacts

• The pandemic is weakening transparency in the fishing industry by making human observer coverage on ships more difficult.
• The potential of increasing ocean carbon storage will focus attention on marine protected areas.
• Increasing numbers of financial institutions will identify blue economy investment opportunities and risks.