Strong leadership for a sustainable ocean
The ocean covers more than 70% of our planet and 80% of the world’s biodiversity lives within it. Britain is an island and the UK’s seas cover nearly 30 times the area of our land.
Oceans and seas face exceptional threats from the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental pollution. Yet at home and on the global stage, marine and coastal areas are often missing from the environmental agenda.
As part of our recommendations to the UK Government for 2024-2029, the IES published this chapter on 'world leading governance for clean air', which sets out recommendations on marine and coastal policy, influenced by our Turning the Tide Project.
Our recommendations for the UK Government
- Strengthen leadership and governance on the marine and coastal environment, informed by systems thinking for a sustainable ocean.
- Urgently deliver marine conservation and restoration to increase coastal resilience and meet the UK’s commitment to protect 30% of land and sea for nature.
- Scale up public and private investment in the sustainable Blue Economy to create economic growth, blue jobs, and food security.
- Work with environmental scientists to unlock the potential of marine science and ocean mapping, as called for by the UN Decade of Ocean Science.
- Raise the profile of oceans, seas, and coasts in the UK’s approach to tackling environmental challenges, from global negotiations to local delivery.
Find out more
Read our recommendations for other fields of environmental science in 'Our Shared Mission for Sustainable Wellbeing'.
To find out more about the topic, you can read our report, 'Turning the Tide: Systems thinking for a sustainable ocean', part of a project endorsed by the UN Ocean Decade. To connect with other marine and coastal professionals, and work together to build interdisciplinary solutions, join the Marine and Coastal Science Community.
If you want to support the work of the IES, you can become an affiliate, or if you’re a professional in the environmental sector working with science, consider joining the IES.
Header image credit: © Goffredo Iacobino | Adobe Stock
