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🇰🇷 South Korea /Environment & Climate

Global ocean health worsening, sea level rise accelerating: UN report

From Hankyoreh · () Korean

Translated from Korean, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • Global oceans face severe pressure from climate change, pollution, and increased human activity, according to a UN report.
  • Sea level rise has more than doubled in speed compared to a decade ago, with coastal communities at increasing risk.
  • The report urges urgent international cooperation to protect marine ecosystems, warning against treating the ocean as an inexhaustible resource.

The world's oceans are in a critical state, facing unprecedented pressure from human activities and climate change, a new United Nations report warns. The "Third Global Ocean Assessment" highlights that the speed of sea level rise has more than doubled since before 2015, increasing from an average of 2 millimeters per year to 4.3 millimeters in 2023. This acceleration poses a significant threat to coastal populations, with over a third of the global population living within 100 kilometers of the coast and 11% residing in low-lying areas.

The report, compiled by over 600 scientists from 86 countries, reveals that oceans absorb 90% of excess heat from fossil fuel emissions and 30% of carbon dioxide. However, this vital role comes at a cost. Ocean warming has accelerated, with 16% of the total heat energy increase since 1955 occurring after 2018, particularly in the Atlantic, Indian, and South Pacific oceans. Furthermore, an estimated 52.1 million tons of plastic enter the sea annually, with 24.4 trillion microplastic particles currently in the water, affecting over 4,000 marine species.

The pressure on the ocean is serious and accelerating. These pressures result in the loss of biodiversity and degrade the ecosystems that support fisheries and coastal protection.

— UN World Ocean Assessment ReportThe report details the severe impact of climate change and human activities on marine environments.

Despite the ocean's critical functions in climate regulation, biodiversity, and resource provision, human understanding remains limited. Only 27.3% of the global seabed is mapped, and deep-sea ecosystems are poorly understood. The UN report stresses the urgent need for enhanced international cooperation, citing fragmented management systems across nations and industries. UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that the ocean should no longer be viewed as an inexhaustible resource, calling for immediate global action to protect marine life.

The ocean should no longer be considered an 'inexhaustible resource.' International cooperation is urgently needed to protect marine ecosystems.

— António GuterresThe UN Secretary-General urged global action in response to the findings of the Third Global Ocean Assessment.
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Originally published by Hankyoreh in Korean. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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