London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Scientific knowledge essential for sustainable oceans, UN Ocean Conference hears

Scientific knowledge essential for sustainable oceans, UN Ocean Conference hears

Increasing scientific knowledge, developing research capacity and making the most of new marine technology, are essential to sustainable ocean management, the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon, Portugal, heard on Thursday.
The Conference’s fourth day, focused on the role of the scientific community, to enable the blue transformation of humankind’s relationship with the ocean.

Stressing that this knowledge is a prerequisite for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 14, scientists are calling for more support for life underwater long-term..

With over 3 billion people heavily reliant on marine ecosystems for food and livelihoods, deployment of solutions to reach ocean-related targets, depend on the actions of current and future generations.

Recent years have seen increased scientific innovation and growing recognition of the importance of ocean science in contributing to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

A vast range of initiatives have been developed and are being implemented not only by the UN, but also by governments, civil society, and the scientific community.

Strong engagement and ownership by a wide range of stakeholders is essential for optimizing the unique opportunity provided by the UN Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021 to 2030), and realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission IOC) is the body that works to strengthen international collaboration on ocean science and ocean research – a job that no single country can undertake by itself.

Applauding recent progress in ocean marine research and ocean observations, scientists at the Conference are stressing the importance of not waiting any longer to act.

Veteran marine biologist and oceanographer, Sylvia Earle, participated at events all week in Lisbon.

“Use your power and get others to use theirs to protect nature, to give back, to stop the killing and understanding the pollution that we are causing, we can stop that too”, Ms. Earle said.

Describing knowledge itself as a “superpower”, Ms. Earle added: “this is the time, a critical time, it’s never before, it’s never again, take action. We have the best chance ever to find a place within the natural systems to keep us alive”.

Participating at an event calling for bold action, Emanuel Gonçalves, board member and chief scientist of the Oceano Azul Foundation, reiterated the need to act now, and to not wait for 2030 to reach the SDGs.

“We can’t wait 30 more years to protect eight per cent of the Ocean, which is what we have now, and even those eight per cent are not adequately protected. We only have two to three per cent fully protected, so we need to put this agenda in place right now, and not in 2030”, said Mr. Gonçalves. Calling for new annual targets to spur action, he added “the moment is now, and that we can’t wait anymore.”

The promotion of ocean science recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which sets out the obligations of States and international organizations to promote international cooperation in marine scientific research, optimizes conditions for scientists, and promotes the flow of scientific data.

With high seas representing more than half or the global Ocean, Mr. Gonçalves, underlined the importance of solving its governance problem.

“The current mechanisms do not allow us to put protected areas in place, and without high seas it’s not possible to achieve 30 per cent protection. We need to make sure the high seas agreement moves, not only right now, but also that moves in a direction that empowers the institutions to be able to drive this protection and put it in place”, the expert said.

For Sylvia Earle, life depends on the Ocean: “the Ocean keeps us alive, and we need to keep the Ocean alive”, she said, asking each one of us to implement change: “in your backyard what are you going to do to plant native plants, flowers and trees that can help the Ocean? Protecting nature is everybody’s job.”

According to Mr. Gonçalves, each of us can do three things to help save the Ocean: to vote, to promote solutions to problems, and to change our consumer behaviour.

Talking about the RISE UP for the Ocean initiative, the marine ecologist and conversationist said that the initiative – which is a joint call by civil society, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples and philanthropic organisations to governments and corporations to agree to bold action to safeguard the ocean – Mr. Gonçalves said that the world needs to move from a call to action, to a plan of action.

Liu Zhenmin, head of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) told UN News that the political declaration to be adopted on Friday following Member States’ agreement ahead of Lisbon, proves that the world is on course to take urgent action to avoid increasing harm to the ocean, calling the outcome “reassuring and profound”.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×