Eight urgent, fundamental and simultaneous steps needed to restore ocean health, and the consequences for humanity and the planet of inaction or delay

摘要: The ocean crisis is urgent and central to human wellbeing life on Earth; past current activities are damaging the planet's main support system for future generations. We witnessing an increase in heat, disturbance, acidification, bio‐invasions nutrients, reducing oxygen levels. Several of these act like ratchets: once detrimental or negative changes have occurred, they may lock place not be reversible, especially at gross ecological process scales. Each change represent a loss humanity resources, ecosystem function, production species. longer we pursue unsuitable actions, more close path recovery better health greater benefits future. stand critical juncture identified eight priority issues that need addressed unison help avert potential disaster global ocean. They form purposely ambitious agenda governance aimed informing decision‐makers high level. should also interest general public. Of all themes, highest rigorously address warming limit surface temperature rise 1.5°C by 2100, as pre‐eminent factor driving other themes establishing robust comprehensive High Seas Treaty, enforcing existing standards Marine Protected Areas expanding their coverage, terms levels protection, adopting precautionary pause deep‐sea mining, ending overfishing destructive fishing practices, radically marine pollution, putting financing mechanism management lastly, scaling up science/data gathering facilitating data sharing. By implementing measures unison, coordinated strategy, can build resilience climate change, sustain fisheries productivity, particularly low‐income countries dependent fisheries, protect coasts (e.g. via soft‐engineering/habitat‐based approaches), promote mitigation carbon storage) enable improved adaptation rapid change.