Covering over 70% of the Earth’s surface, the ocean is an unrecognized hero in the fight against climate change. It’s the world’s most powerful carbon sink, absorbing an astounding 90% of excess heat and storing four times more carbon than the Amazon rainforest. Even more remarkably, the ocean generates up to 85% of the oxygen on the planet, thanks to the unseen labor of marine life. Whales, for example, play a crucial role by fertilizing phytoplankton, the tiny organisms that not only produce oxygen but also trap carbon in the deep when they die.
Yet, while the ocean gives us life, it is quietly dying. Out of sight and often out of mind, human activity is eroding the ocean’s ability to sustain our planet. Every day, the damage accumulates, threatening the very systems that keep Earth habitable.
Oceanic area outside national jurisdiction are called the international waters or “high seas”. All countries can fish, ship and conduct research there. But so far, only about 1% of these waters is protected, putting the vast majority of the high seas at risk from threats like climate change, overfishing, and shipping traffic.
Today, toxic chemicals and millions of tons of plastic waste enter the ocean, killing fish, sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals. And such waste is expected to double or triple each year by 2040. By 2050, there could be more plastic than fish unless action is taken.
Climate change is another threat to marine species. It has increased marine heat waves 20-folds, leading to extreme events like cyclones and mass mortality, including death of corals that support 25% of marine life. Absorbing the majority of the ever-increasing carbon dioxide also makes the ocean much more acidic, adversely affecting species of shellfish.
Further, the calm surface and distance provides the perfect cover for illegal activities away from our coasts. Many fishing activities here violate local or international laws like fishing without a license or permit. Many exceed quotas or target prohibited species. In several places, the rules and regulations for fishing are not established at all. And so the fishes they catch do not get counted when estimating their populations, which makes it difficult to sustainably manage fisheries. Often using illegal and destructive fishing methods such as blast and cyanide fishing, they irreversibly damage sensitive marine habitats like coral reefs.
Today, marine species have decreased by about 40% in just over 40 years and roughly 30% of the world’s fish stocks are overfished. Furthermore, up to 40% of all animals caught are caught unintentionally, including over 300,000 whales, dolphins and porpoises every year. Bent on emptying the oceans for a quick profit, the consequences of the destruction of the food chains reach our shores and threatens the livelihoods of 520 million people as local fishers struggle to catch once-abundant wild fish.
Struggling fishermen get drawn into high seas fishing in the absence of other income opportunities. They face inhumane working conditions akin to modern slavery, with illegal acts including long working hours without concern for their safety, withholding wages, physical and sexual abuse.
In this way, some are being robbed of a dignified life, many of a livelihood, and everybody of livable environment, one shipment of fishes at a time.
To fight these ever-increasing threats, we need strong policies at the international level. This is why new treaty, known as the High Seas Treaty, was agreed upon in March 2023, and is open for signature, until September 2025. The focus of this treaty is to put parts of the high seas into “marine protected areas”, with the global goal to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030. In such areas, fishing activities, shipping routes and exploration activities like deep-sea mining are limited or prohibited.
Another key point in this treaty is that countries must consider the environmental impacts of their planned activities outside their jurisdiction, which would make them more accountable and responsible. It will also set up a voluntary fund to support developing countries and create a framework to fairly share any discoveries made in the deep sea between countries.
But this treaty will only enter “into force” once 60 countries have signed up and “ratified” it (passed the legislation) in their own countries. A total of 115 countries have signed the treaty, indicating they are open to ratify it but only 28 have ratified it so far. India has also signed the ‘High Seas Treaty’ but is yet to ratify it.
The ocean is not just water — it’s our shared legacy, our life source, and our future. It belongs to no one but it affects everyone, connecting continents, feeding billions, and regulating the climate. Our fate is inseparable from its health. That’s why we must raise our voices and urge our leaders to protect it. You can sign this petition today calling for the ratification of the High Seas Treaty — a single, powerful act that could help safeguard our ocean and secure a more livable planet for generations to come.
References:
What is the UN High Seas Treaty and why is it needed?
Beyond borders: Why new ‘high seas’ treaty is critical for the world | UN News
https://news.un.org/en/story/2017/04/556132-feature-uns-mission-keep-plastics-out-oceans-and-marine-life
https://www.worldwildlife.org/threats/illegal-fishing
Human Nature 