Goal 14 is about the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources. Healthy oceans and seas are essential for human existence and life on Earth.

Oceans are an integral part of our life on Earth. They cover three-quarters of the Earth's surface, contain 97% of the Earth's water, and account for 99% of the planet's habitable space by volume.

The world's oceans provide key natural resources including food, medicines, biofuels and other products; they help break down and remove waste and pollution; and their coastal ecosystems act as barriers to reduce damage from storms. They are also the planet's greatest carbon sink.

Marine pollution has reached alarming levels, with more than 17 million metric tons littering the ocean in 2021, a figure that is expected to double or triple by 2040. The most harmful type of ocean pollution is plastic.

Currently, the average pH of the oceans is 8.1, which is 30 percent more acidic than in pre-industrial times. Ocean acidification threatens the survival of marine life, disrupts the food web, and undermines the vital services provided by the oceans and our food security.

Careful management of this essential global resource is an essential feature of a sustainable future. This includes increasing funding for ocean science, intensifying conservation efforts, and urgently reversing climate change to protect the planet's largest ecosystem. Current efforts fall short of the urgent need to protect this vast and fragile resource.