With summer comes the typical images of beaches filled with sunshades and children building sandcastles. Sailing boats gliding across the bright blue of the seas and the more muted tones of the oceans. However, the mirror of the planet's marine mass reflects a far from evocative image: an entire ecosystem, from the coast to the open sea, contaminated by more than 150 million tonnes of plastic, the acidification caused by carbon dioxide and the overheating it absorbs, and indiscriminate fishing practices.
The ocean regulates the climate. It captures 30% of the CO₂ generated by humans and distributes heat through ocean currents. It produces more than 50% of the Earth's oxygen thanks to phytoplankton. Its biodiversity, the largest on the planet, sustains natural, economic, and social systems that millions of people depend on. Food, therapeutic resources, raw materials like salt, sand, minerals, water… and sailing, the good life. The price for such benefits is, for example, the creation of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a dump of 1.8 million microplastics located between California and Hawaii. Or the historic maximum of 20.86°C that the marine surface globally reached on June 21st, which could destroy entire marine species.
The feeling of being inexhaustible due to its vastness has placed the oceans on the back burner of the environmental agenda. Until now. There are many initiatives from public and private institutions aimed at restoring the value we have taken from marine ecosystems through regeneration. The most important is the UN Global Ocean Treaty, which took 10 years to secure and came into force at the beginning of the year. Its goal is to protect 30% of international waters by 2030, as currently less than 1% are covered. Its implementation will also allow for the creation of “sanctuaries” or protected areas in the high seas to prevent the degradation of biodiversity and ensure food security for humanity.
Europe is also beginning to bolster its ocean agenda with programmes such as OceanEye, the European Ocean Pact, linked to marine observation, ecosystem restoration, sustainable blue economy, or coastal resilience. Finally, the work of companies like Underwater Gardens International, which has been developing marine restoration projects for years, stands out.