The world’s oceans are under stress as human activities deplete natural wildlife and degrade marine habitats. Over-fishing, chemicals washing in from farmlands and factories, and the indiscriminate dumping of waste have damaged ocean environments around the world. At the same time, more than 1 billion people rely on oceans for food and their livelihood.
On February 24, World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick announced a powerful new global partnership that aims to address those issues by bringing together science, advocacy, government, international institutions, and the private sector to advance goals for healthier, productive oceans worldwide.
“The world’s oceans are in danger, and the enormity of the challenge is bigger than one country or organization. We need coordinated global action to restore our oceans to health. Together we’ll build on the excellent work already being done to address the threats to oceans, identify workable solutions, and scale them up,” Zoellick said in a keynote speech to be delivered to at The Economist’s World Oceans Summit in Singapore.