Freedom for the Seas: now and for the future

Abstract

It is clearer today than ever before that the threats to ocean life are growing and beyond the capacity of any one nation to address alone. While in the past, we primarily spoke of overfishing or destructive fishing and their impacts on ocean life, today, climate change and its impacts on marine life must also loom large in the minds of oceans decision makers. According to a series of reports released throughout 2007 by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)1, the increase in globally observed temperatures is very likely due to human activities and sea levels will continue to rise for centuries even if greenhouse gas emissions are stabilised. Coastal communities and Small Island States are already feeling the impacts of climate change. And from the coastal seas to the deepest waters, the combined and possibly synergistic effects of climate change and overfishing are already having an impact and could possibly spell disaster for our oceans' marine life and the vast number of people who depend on it for their survival.