The Ocean's Centrality to Sustainability

Our world'soceans are crucialto global environmental and economic sustainability. When oceans are healthy, the natural benefits that they provide can mitigate the effects of climate change, biodiversity loss, and development issues around the world. These "blue carbon" ecosystems, which store five times as much atmospheric carbon as tropical forests and can absorb it three times as fast, could be gone in 100 years if not prioritized now. Globally, 50 percent of salt marshes, 35 percent of mangroves, and 30 percent of coralhave been destroyedsince the 1950s. The threats to ocean ecosystems and their significant and complex interconnection with the health of the entire planet add additional uncertainty to the future unfolding of climate change impacts. Planners, particularly in coastal areas, must pay attention to how their work intersects with these environments.