2022 UNESCO State of Ocean Report

In August 2022, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO released the pilot edition of the State of the Ocean Report 2022. The report is structured around the initial challenges of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, 2021–2030.

The Report presented the following challenges with regard to the ocean:

• Understand and beat marine pollution
• Protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity
• Develop a sustainable and equitable ocean economy
• Unlock ocean-based solutions to climate change
• Increase community resilience to ocean hazards
• Expand the Global Ocean Observing System and create a digital representation of the ocean
• Skills, knowledge and technology for all
• Change humanity's relationship with the ocean to understand our influence on the ocean and its influence on us.

The attempt to create the Report led to a ‘moment of truth’: Although society is aware in principle of what is happening in the ocean, and what should be done about it, the quantitative description of the ocean is drastically incomplete and, as a result, current knowledge is insufficient to effectively inform solutions to the ocean issues that humanity is now facing

Therefore, the way forward is to:

• broadly communicate the findings on the continued lack of quantitative knowledge about the ocean;
• continue to promote and develop the UN Ocean Decade as the prime platform to transform ocean science, so that it can effectively contribute to sustainable development;
• act to create a theoretical basis for sustainable ocean planning and management, within and beyond areas of national jurisdiction, focusing on ocean economy, climate and biodiversity, and develop corresponding implementation plans in consultation with key stakeholders; and
• strengthen the ocean science-policy interface.