- 1 By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds.
- 2 By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems.
- 3 Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification.
- 4 By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing.
- 5 By 2020, conserve at least 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas.
Oceans cover 70% of our planet and are the lifeblood of Earth's climate, food systems, and biodiversity. While marine protection has expanded and international governance frameworks have improved, ocean warming, acidification, and plastic pollution are accelerating and many key 2020 targets were missed entirely.
What We've Accomplished
- Marine protected areas grew from under 1% of ocean in 2000 to 8.3% by 2023.
- The UN High Seas Treaty (2023) established a framework to protect international waters for the first time.
- WTO agreement to end harmful fishing subsidies adopted in 2022 — first trade agreement focused on sustainability.
- Several countries eliminated single-use plastics through national legislation.
- Coral reef restoration programs successfully expanded in Australia, the US, and the Maldives.
2030 Outlook
Ocean surface temperatures hit record highs in 2023, causing mass coral bleaching events on a global scale. Overfishing persists in 35% of monitored fish stocks. Plastic pollution is projected to triple by 2040 without intervention. Ocean acidification has increased 26% since the Industrial Revolution. The 2020 target to protect 10% of coastal and marine areas was missed; the revised 30% by 2030 target will require an unprecedented expansion of protection regimes.