Sea levels aren't just inching up anymore—they're speeding up, and there's now "severe and accelerating" pressure on our oceans due to human activity. In its third World Ocean Assessment, drawing on almost 600 scientists from 86 countries and covering 2021 to 2025, the United Nations reports that sea-level rise has roughly doubled in a decade, from just under 0.08 inches a year before 2015 to about 0.17 inches in 2023, per the Guardian. Around 16% of all ocean heat gained since 1955 has been added since 2018 alone, with the Atlantic and southern Indian and Pacific oceans warming the fastest.
The oceans have already soaked up 90% of the excess heat and 30% of the carbon dioxide from fossil fuels, even as plastic pollution hits an estimated 57 million tons a year and 24.4 trillion microplastic particles. Only 27% of the seafloor has been mapped, leaving deep-sea ecosystems largely unknown. The report cites progress, including a new high-seas treaty to protect global waters and dozens of other accords, but it notes that ocean governance is still piecemeal.
UN chief Antonio Guterres warned that the ocean isn't "limitless" and called for a reset rooted in science and "shared responsibility." "We must build a new relationship with the ocean," he said, per a release. Meanwhile, Greenpeace is urging governments to listen to this "urgent wake-up call" and honor a pledge to fully protect 30% of the seas by 2030.
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