Global Ocean Faces 'Deepening Crisis,' but Governance Is Improving: UN Report

A new UN World Ocean Assessment warns that the global ocean is facing a “deepening crisis,” with pressures from pollution, overfishing, and accelerating climate change. Released June 8, the report covers 2021 to 2025 and was authored by about 600 experts from 86 countries, echoing earlier assessments from 2015 and 2021. While the UN report points to improving ocean governance—citing a review of 57 treaties and the newly ratified BBNJ high seas agreement—it says existing frameworks remain “fragmented.” Key figures include that 16% of the ocean’s warming measured since 1955 occurred in just the past eight years. Sea level rise more than doubled in the last decade, from under 2.0 mm per year before 2015 to 4.3 mm in 2023. The report also estimates 52.1 million metric tons of plastic enter the ocean annually and notes only 27.3% of the seafloor has been mapped.