We all rely on the ocean, whether we know it or not. Earth's vast expanses of water are key to the success of all life on Earth. We eat fish from the ocean, we breathe the oxygen it gives off, we feel the warmth of its huge currents. Without a healthy ocean, humans cannot thrive.
But the ocean has taken a pummelling and we have not been treating it well. It is facing down three huge threats: overfishing, pollution and climate change. Most of these are caused by human mismanagement.
Humans are destroying our oceans at an unprecedented rate. Eighty percent of fisheries are overfished or outright collapsing. More than 5 trillion pieces of plastic inhabit our oceans. The coral reefs are dying, jeopardizing the stability of 1 million species that rely on the reefs for habitat.
Rivers of pollution flow into the ocean every day, with little sign of slowing down. Marine animals and birds now regularly eat plastic, and so do humans. It is estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic in the sea but no fish at all.
As the plastic piles up, fish disappear. Since industrialised fishing began in the mid-twentieth century, the oceans have been transformed. Today's seas contain only 10% of the marlin, tuna, sharks and other large predators that were found in the 1950s.
Today, the world ocean is the largest waste dump in the world, including for nuclear, chemical, and oil waste.
Do you think this is a problem and how do you think it should be solved?