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14. Life below water

14. Life below water

The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life – drive global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food, and even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately provided and regulated by the sea. Throughout history, oceans and seas have been vital conduits for trade and transportation. Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future.

Read our stories to learn more about SDG Goal 14: Life below water

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News

UNEA7_Nairobi_Kenya
Despite pushback, Global South delegates achieved consensus on a number of issues and an increased budget for the UN Environment Programme.
CB_US_Exit
The Trump administration in the US has announced its intention to withdraw from the UN’s landmark climate treaty, alongside 65 other international bodies that “no longer serve American interests”.
Vivek Kumar, WWF-SG
Former Shell marketer Vivek Kumar is moving on after four years with the conservation group.
Ocean_Acidification_Seahorse
In 2025, scientists warned the ‘planetary boundary’ for ocean acidification had been crossed. This is what that means and why it matters.
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Opinion

Ocean_Acidification_Threshold_Coral
The world has started to recognise that the climate’s fate depends on what happens to the ocean. At COP30, ocean-based solutions attracted significant attention and investment, but much more must be done to establish the governance structures required for safeguarding this critical planetary system.
COP30_Indigenous_Voices_Belem
There was no shortage of Indigenous representatives at COP30, but the conference did not always seem to be listening, writes Dunio Chiriap Jimbicti.
COP30_Negotiations_President
COP30 delivered gains on climate finance and forests but stalled on fossil fuel phaseout – exposing both the limits of consensus talks and the growing role of action outside negotiations.
Indigenous Peoples at COP30 closing plenary
From Indigenous exclusion to the absence of the United States, a range of factors contributed to another disappointing outcome at the climate talks in Brazil.
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Videos

OceanX
The vessel will scour Southeast Asia’s marine environment to gather data and support local conservationists.
Jack Johnson and Jessica Cheam
Exclusive Jack Johnson says yes, but it is a long road ahead. In this exclusive interview, we ask the American singer-songwriter and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador about his hopes for the state of the world and how music plays a role in providing a dose of optimism in dark times.
'Wasted' documentary
Launched as policymakers lock horns with petrochemicals lobbyists over a treaty to end plastic pollution, the documentary produced by Eco-Business asks why opportunities to solve humanity's waste crisis are being wasted. It will premiere in Singapore and screen on the sidelines of the upcoming COP28 climate summit.
Thumbnail for Kids Video with Dr Sylvia Earle 2
Do children ask the toughest questions? This World Oceans Day, we get renowned oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue, to field questions from curious kids on the mysteries of the deep.
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Podcasts

L'Occitane's Asia Pacific director of sustainability Venisa Chu
The Asia Pacific ESG head of the B Corp-certified cosmetics firm says refill stations have been disappointing and getting suppliers on board with decarbonisation is difficult, but her team has not been affected by the ESG backlash.
Solar installation in the Philippines
In the first of a podcast series featuring Southeast Asia's clean energy entrepreneurs, the CEO of Gurin Energy says that Asean countries will be left behind in artificial intelligence and robotics if the region does not connect its grid and deploy renewables at speed and scale.
Trash piled high at the Bantar Gebang landfill in Bekasi, near Jakarta.
The head of waste management non-profit Ocean Recovery Alliance tells the EB Podcast that recycled content mandates will drive the circular economy better than caps on virgin plastic production. Brands should be pressured more than petrochemical producers to phase out unnecessary plastics, he says.
A beach in Balikpapan, Indonesia's "oil city", is covered in plastic trash.
Speaking from the INC-5.2 talks in Geneva, the Singapore Youth for Climate Action president argues that having no treaty is better than a watered-down pact with no limits on plastic production. But there is no explicit Asean-wide support for such caps now, she observes.
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