Leading international efforts to save our oceans
The slow-motion death of our oceans calls into question our prospects of subsisting as a species at all.
Our oceans are being devastated.
Most of the causes are climatic, if still human-induced. Global heating in particular is driving acidification, the death of reef systems, and the depopulation of marine life.
In many cases, however, the devastation is a direct human infliction. Pollution, agricultural run-off, resource extraction, and over-fishing stand out as the principal culprits.
The cumulative effect of these activities has put our oceans on the brink of total ecosystem collapse. The number of dead zones in our oceans—areas without enough oxygen to support life—has nearly doubled in the last ten years. That pace shows no sign of abating.
Put plainly, the threat has become existential. Three billion people rely on oceans for their livelihoods. So too, ultimately, does most life on Earth. The slow-motion death of our oceans calls into question our prospects of subsisting as a species at all.
It follows that urgent action is required to stall this decline. To support and rally such action, Australia will champion international efforts to:
Extend the scope of international marine protected areas. Australia will encourage two initiatives specifically: working with and through CCMALR, part of the Antarctic Treaty System, to establish a series of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Southern Ocean; and advocating the adoption of an Agreement under UNCLOS that would allow the multilateral designation of MPAs in the high seas.
Scale up our national contribution to international ocean science. We will increase funding support for ocean research at Australian universities, boosting their role in international efforts to track and prevent marine ecosystem decline.
Promote the sustainable management of fisheries. Australia will continue to strengthen fisheries management in our exclusive waters, including through enhanced surveillance and policing of over-fishing. More broadly, we will push internationally for the adoption of multilateral agreements on sustainable fisheries management. We will advocate that agreements embed effective monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, and limit over-fishing through Individual Transferable Quotas rather than Total Allowable Catch regimes.
Prevent agricultural run-off. Australia will continue to encourage the international adoption of farming practices that limit run-off. The G20 Agriculture Ministers' Action Plan 2017 serves as a recent example of Australia being part of successful multilateral attempts to address run-off, among other agricultural issues.
Reduce plastic pollution. This year, 175 countries voted in the United Nations Environment Assembly to work towards a binding international treaty on plastic pollution by 2024. Australia will diplomatically champion progress towards realising such a treaty.