Celebrating World Ocean Day

The ocean covers 71% of the planet and holds nearly 97% of the Earth's water, and about 40% of the world's population lives within 100 kilometers of the coastline. As reported in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate, "[t]he ocean is essential for all aspects of human well-being and livelihood" and ocean warming, acidification and sea level rise are impacting fisheries and food production and depleting key ecosystem services. Ocean health is closely tied to human health, and ocean-based climate solutions, including carbon sequestration and marine renewable energy, will play a critical role in combating such deleterious impacts of climate change.