Our Ocean, Our Future

From the warm, shallow waters of the Arabian Gulf to the golden coasts of West Africa and the teeming fishing villages of Southeast Asia, the ocean is not just a source of life, but livelihood, to coastal communities.

For thousands of years, it has been this way: Localised micro-economies reliant on fishing and trade were run by communities that passed down their practices through generations, never taking more from the sea than they could put back. Until recently.

Today, thanks to the earth’s rapidly growing population, the ocean now provides the main source of protein for three billion people – an unsustainable quantity. At the same time, it also supports the livelihoods of around 600 million people who work in fishing or aquaculture.

The pressure on our oceans has never been greater; not just from overfishing, but also rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification and plastic pollution. Urgent action is needed to ensure this incredible natural resource remains viable, both as a thriving natural ecosystem, and as a source of life to billions.

The good news is that when we choose to act, the ocean responds. Thanks to ambitious projects and policies, marine protected areas are recovering, mangrove restoration is accelerating, and communities that once faced depleted waters are seeing fish stocks return.

The challenge is significant, and meeting it will require sustained momentum and political will. But when the alternative is unthinkable, there is only one direction of travel: Towards an economy – and a future – that the sea can sustain.

This award-winning photograph is from ‘Water’, the ninth season of the Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktoum International Photography Award (HIPA) Archive. The Climate Tribe has partnered with HIPA, leveraging the power of photography to inspire global awareness of sustainability and advance climate action.