SHAPING THE FUTURE Safeguarding Planet Ocean
Planet Ocean has a huge part to play within the World Future Council’s global vision of finding a pathway to a more sustainable future. Director Alexandra Wandel points to the challenges - and opportunities - that lie ahead.
What role does the ocean play when it comes to
combination of “bad policies”, such as subsidies designed
safeguarding the future of the planet? Put simply,
to increase the capacity of fishing fleets beyond what our
without the oceans, humanity cannot survive. They are a
oceans can support, and an absence of any true deterrents
crucial source of food, natural resources and energy,
has actually resulted in an acceleration of the threats to our
helping to regulate the climate whilst also producing more
oceans. Whilst a number of international agreements to
than half of the oxygen we breathe. Oceans cover over 70%
manage our oceans and coasts have since been put in place,
of the world’s surface. Yet despite their importance and their
their implementation has so far been too slow. Is there light
incredible scale, there is still so much to learn about them.
at the end of the tunnel? Yes! We are very fortunate to be
Vast seascapes remain unexplored. Only in recent decades
witnessing an emerging body of
have we begun to grasp how our actions can impact this
of which have been highlighted at the World Future
incredible environment - for better or worse.
Council’s Future Policy Awards. In this issue,
What are the biggest challenges in this
you can read more about some of the more
respect? Sadly, it seems we are our
effective
and
exemplary
environmental
own worst enemy. Unregulated fishing
policies such as the management of the
practices have left 85% of the world’s fish
Tubbataha Reefs and protection of marine life
stocks dangerously overfished. Pollution
in Palau, whose implementation have con-
has led to the destruction of vast swathes of
tributed immensely to a more sustainable marine and coastal development. How do these
marine life and the effects of climate change
solutions work? With something as vast as the ocean, a
threaten to decimate international island and coastal communities alike, through a dangerous combination of
global approach is necessary. Whilst each environmental
rising sea temperatures and sea levels. Our oceans are
issue undoubtedly necessitates its own unique approach
under
according
severe
stress.
Unless
we
act
soon,
the
to
geographical we
believe
location it
possible
and
political
to
replicate
consequences could be dire, with vast declines in
environment,
fish stock, a loss of marine bio-diversity and the
successful solutions on a global level by exchanging
destruction of coral reefs and mangrove forest covers having
experiences and knowledge across regions, countries
catastrophic consequences for all of life on earth. What are
and continents alike. It is this level of international
the key drivers behind these threats? Poor governance
engagement that the World Future Council is striving for.
and lack of regulation both have their parts to play. The toxic
6
responses, some