The ocean is a powerful carbon sink, reducing the amount of carbon dioxide put into the air by fossil fuels by about a quarter. However, as greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, the ocean is acidifying, killing marine life and altering its change-mitigating waters.
With the UN Decade of Ocean Science entering its second year and the next UN Ocean Conference on the horizon (27 June to 1 July 2022), aquatic ecosystems are gaining ground on the international stage. But is it enough?
At COP26 in Glasgow, Fijian ocean expert Peter Thomson, who serves as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, spoke on the urgency of turning more attention toward the ocean and preserving its integrity by holding countries accountable to their emissions reductions targets.
