Protecting the world's oceans: from vision to action

Abstract

Climate change puts the health of the world's oceans at stark risk, while the oceans themselves play a key role in transforming the world's geography as temperatures rise. Speakers at the World Ocean Conference 2009 highlighted this, as well as the impact rising sea levels will have on small island developing states. Governments, their development partners, nongovernment organizations, and the private sector must move quickly to adapt to or mitigate the impacts of climate change, speakers said. They must also, for the benefit of humanity, agree on ways to use marine resources sustainably. This conference report goes beyond simply listing the proceedings and instead highlights key issues raised and solutions put forward by some of the more than 3,000 researchers, scientists, educators, and ocean experts from 74 countries who attended. The report on the talks, held in Manado, Indonesia, is an important part of official preparations for the 15th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Conference of the Parties, to be held in Copenhagen in December 2009.