UNOC opportunity for nations to ensure protection and sustainable use of ocean

WITH five years left to meet the world's "30 by 30" conservation goal and an urgent need to improve the management of marine ecosystems, the underway 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC) presents an opportunity for governments to make progress on global agreements that can ensure the protection and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources for generations.

- VISHAL GULATI

Scientists warn that since the 2015 Paris Agreement was signed, the world has added the energy equivalent of nearly two billion atom bombs such as "Little Boy" to the ocean.

The result, the ocean heat content in 2025 to a depth of 2000 metres was about 104 zettajoules more than in 2015, equivalent to about 1.7 billion atom bombs, about five bombs per second.

Global daily sea ice hit a record low in February 2025.

The maximum sea ice extent and volume in both 2023 and 2024 was also dramatically below the extent of previous years.

Antarctic sea ice may have entered an entirely new, smaller state, as the 2023 and 2024 winter maximum sea ice extents were so far below previous years.

2025 Antarctic sea ice is also well below historical averages for both extent and volume.

The Antarctic sea ice summer minimum extents from 2022-2025 were the lowest in history, around half of the average, and the Antarctic sea ice low in 2023 was calculated to be possible only once in 2,650 years without climate change.

Arctic sea ice reached its lowest volume ever in March 2025, after decades of decline.

Sea levels reached a record high in 2024 -- and the rate of sea level rise has increased since 2015.

Sea level rise would take 100s to 1,000s of years to reverse, even if we started now.