SDG 14 - Life Below Water - Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, leaders from 193 different countries agreed on 17 global goals they felt the world needed to achieve by 2030. Goal 14 Life Below water focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development. 

Healthy oceans and seas are essential for our well-being. They make up 70% of our planet and they play a crucial role in providing us with food, energy, and water. However, we've done a lot of harm to these valuable resources.

It’s more urgent than ever to act and protect marine life.

In today’s blog, we’ll understand how important these incredible and complex ecosystems are, and how SDG 14  wants to protect life below water.

Who lives below water?

Millions of species are living in marine ecosystems. Down there, we can find a huge collection of life, from the tiniest invisible bacteria to the giant blue whale, the biggest animal to ever live on Earth…

Let's picture just a small part of a marine ecosystem:

There is plenty of phytoplankton, microscopic organisms floating near the surface of oceans, seas, and lakes... Using sunlight, carbon dioxide, and nutrients they perform photosynthesis, converting these elements into organic matter.  We can also imagine molluscs acting as filter feeders, helping to maintain water clarity and nutrient cycling. Visualise coral reefs and seaweeds everywhere, providing shelter and food for a multitude of species, and many species of fish together, gathering in large numbers (thousands to millions of individual fish!) to protect themselves from predators and improve their hunting techniques. Finally, picture whales and dolphins appearing in the background, they arrive after migrating thousands of miles from the other side of the ocean!

These are just a few examples of the many organisms that make up the complexity of life below water. And there’s still a lot to discover. Dr Robert Blasiak, ocean researcher at Stockholm University, said:

"If you imagine a big, high-definition, widescreen TV, and if only like three or four of the pixels on that giant screen are working, that's our knowledge of the deep ocean. So, we've recorded about 230,000 species in the ocean, but it's estimated that there are over two million."

How do we benefit from them?

Apart from forming diverse and vibrant ecosystems, there´s a large interdependence between humans and these species. Here are some of the many ways we’re benefiting from them:

Marine plants, such as phytoplankton and seaweeds during photosynthesis, produce 50-80% of the world’s oxygen. In the same process, plants take in Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, acting as a carbon sink, in a natural fight against climate change. The oceans are the largest carbon reservoir on the planet, storing about 38,000 billion tonnes of carbon. This is over 28 times more than the quantity of carbon stored by land vegetation and atmosphere combined.!!

Life below water is a significant source of food for the global population. Global production of fish and seafood has quadrupled over the past 50 years, and the average person now eats almost twice as much seafood as half a century ago.

Marine and coastal sectors support industries such as tourism, shipping, fisheries, and offshore energy production, generating jobs and income. In fact, it’s estimated that the fishing industry provides employment globally to 50 million people.

And not to forget, that oceans play a significant role in the traditions and beliefs of our communities!

But… are they benefiting from us?

Well… surprise, surprise... human activities are harming more than benefiting marine ecosystems.  The good news is we have the capacity to positively impact life below water, it depends on our actions and the policies we implement. Let’s understand some of the main issues we need to address.

Overfishing

Overfishing is one of the biggest threats to the ocean. The way we are fishing is causing huge issues for our ocean. It is estimated that over 85% of the world’s fish resources have been impacted by overfishing, which is causing the ecosystems to become unbalanced. The current fishing methods such as bottom trawl fishing (when a net is cast along the ocean floor to capture fish) hurt ocean habitats and biodiversity.

Source: Our World in Data.

In 1995, fish farming was a very small industry, but it has grown rapidly in the last few decades. More of our seafood now comes from aquaculture than from wild catch.

Water Pollution

Water pollution harms life below water and disrupts the balance of marine ecosystems, affecting species interactions and biodiversity. The major causes of this pollution are:

- Factories can release pollutants such as heavy metals, chemicals, and toxins into water.

- Pesticides, fertilizers, and animal waste from agriculture can wash into rivers and eventually reach the ocean.

- Improperly treated sewage and wastewater discharges can introduce pathogens and nutrients into water.

- Oil spills from ships or offshore drilling rigs can lead to extensive contamination of marine environments.

- Plastics, including microplastics, persist for a long time in marine environments and harm marine life. Plastic waste makes up 80% of all marine pollution and around 8 to 10 million metric tons of plastic end up in the ocean each year, Research states that, by 2050, plastic will likely outweigh all fish in the sea, and the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has stated that basically 100% of all plastics human beings have ever created are still in existence!!! Watch this Greenpeace video to understand how plastic ends up in the ocean.

Ocean Acidification 

Another issue caused by global warming is ocean acidification. In the last 50 years, the ocean has become 30% more acidic because of human activities!

This happens when the ocean absorbs extra CO2 from the air, making it more acidic.

Coral reefs are particularly sensitive to ocean warming and acidification which eventually causes the coral to become bleached and dead. As the world gets hotter, the acidity is likely to get worse causing more problems for our ocean ecosystems.

What would the world look like if SDG 14 was fully implemented?

Achieving the goal of protecting 30% of our marine environment by 2030 will significantly impact the health of our ocean and in turn, give many benefits to people.

The achievement of this goal would mean oceans and seas would be healthier and more resilient, with reduced pollution of all types and ocean acidification, and a substantial improvement in water quality and biodiversity conservation.

Overfishing would be significantly reduced, allowing fish stocks to recover and supporting the long-term sustainability of fisheries. This would also improve the livelihoods of coastal communities.

Source: UN SDGs

What can we do to assist this sustainable development goal?

As always, governments are responsible for developing policies and regulations aligned with this goal.

A good example of this is the recent international agreement “High Seas Treaty” is a historical achievement after decades of conversations, that aims to help place 30% of the seas into protected areas by 2030, to safeguard and recuperate marine nature. Learn more about it here.

What can we do as individuals?

- Reduce waste – much of the waste that we produce on land ends up in the oceans, especially plastic waste!

- Organize a cleanup project for rivers and oceans. Engage your whole community to clean up a local river, seaside or an ocean. Check UOCEAN 2050 initiative, they have the mission to remove 1 billion kg of river & ocean plastics. 

-  Reduce fish consumption and buy local and certified fish. You can support small-scale producers by shopping in local markets and shops.

- Choose reef-safe sunscreen: Some sunscreens can be very harmful to the ocean and coral reefs are particularly sensitive. When swimming opt for a sunscreen that is labelled “reef safe” to prevent harmful chemicals from damaging fragile marine ecosystems.

- Support Sustainable Tourism: When travelling to coastal areas and choosing ocean-based activities choose ones that are ethical particularly marine biodiversity tours like whale and dolphin watching – If you don’t choose the right one you could disturb and impact the local biodiversity. When looking for such tours keep an eye out on how they approach marine wildlife i.e., does the boat chase them or does it keep a safe distance from wildlife? If you are unsure ask the company!

Read “170 Actions to Combat Climate Change” from UN here.

Editors’ recommendations: Ireland’s Deep Atlantic Documentary

Protect Life Below Water 

Are you ready to take the lead in safeguarding our oceans? Our ESG Leader Programme equips you with the skills to integrate sustainable practices into your organization, addressing critical issues like overfishing, water pollution, and marine ecosystem restoration.

Join the next cohort and lead the change toward sustainability!

Thank you for reading today.

The FSG Team 💚