Goal 14 Facts and Figures

Goal 14 is about conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources. Healthy oceans and seas are essential to human existence and life on Earth. They cover 70 per cent of the planet and provide food, energy and water. The ocean absorbs around one quarter of the world’s annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, thereby mitigating climate change and alleviating its impacts.

It is essential to conserve and sustainably use them. Yet, human activity is endangering the oceans and seas – the planet’s largest ecosystem – and affecting the livelihoods of billions of people.

Facts and Figures  | Goal 14 Target | Links

·      Continuing ocean acidification and rising ocean temperatures are threatening marine species and negatively affecting marine ecosystem services. Between 2009 and 2018, the world lost about 14 per cent of coral reefs.

·      In 2021, more than 17 million metric tons of plastic entered the world’s ocean, making up 85 per cent of marine litter. The volume of plastic pollution entering the ocean each year is expected to double or triple by 2040.

·      The global coverage of marine protected areas stood at 8 per cent of global coastal waters and oceans in 2021.

·      More than a third (35.4 per cent) of global fish stocks were overfished in 2019, up from 34.2 per cent in 2017 and 10 per cent in 1974. However, the rate of decline has recently slowed.

·      Almost half a billion people depend at least partially on small-scale fisheries, which account for 90 per cent of employment in fisheries worldwide.

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