Why We Need a United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

摘要

The latest United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate warned the entire world about the devastating effects of climate change on the ocean, calling for immediate and drastic action to reverse the decline in the health of our planet. Among these devastating effects, global mean sea level could rise up to 110 cm by the end of this century, severely threatening the lives of the 680 million people that live in low-lying coastal areas. Warm water coral reefs could almost completely go extinct, and with them, the vital services they provide to society. Increase in temperature is expected to impact biodiversity, including fisheries, thereby challenging food security and jobs, especially in least developed countries and Small Island Developing States.