Choosing climate protection means protecting the oceans

With a view to the federal elections on February 23, 2025, the German Marine Research Alliance (DAM) points out the importance of the seas and oceans for life on earth: “The seas and oceans are vital for our survival – but they are increasingly endangered by the influence of humans, especially man-made climate change. A vote for climate protection is therefore also a vote for marine protection,” summarizes Joachim Harms, CEO of DAM.

A stable climate, healthy oceans and intact ecosystems are of existential importance for the future of mankind. Stabilizing and preserving them is a major task for society as a whole. Despite many international approaches and efforts to slow down global warming and preserve ecosystems, effective measures for the protection and sustainable use of the seas and oceans and their resources are still lacking. “The coming legislative period is crucial for setting the course in Germany – for climate and marine protection and ultimately for the protection of all living creatures on our planet,” adds Harms. “The knowledge for implementation is available. Now it is up to each individual to decide in favor of marine protection by voting for one of the parties that have climate protection on their agenda.”

Background facts: Seas and oceans as the basis of life

The seas and oceans are crucial for life on Earth:

• Seas and oceans are a source of food and income for millions of people: More than a third of the world’s population lives less than 100 kilometers from the coast. Hundreds of millions of people depend on marine resources for their livelihoods. In addition, seas and oceans are important transportation routes, provide renewable energy and are also places of recreation and inspiration.
• They are an important CO2 reservoir: seas and oceans store more than 50 times as much carbon as the atmosphere and have so far absorbed around 25 percent of the carbon dioxide emissions produced by humans since the beginning of industrialization, thus preventing even faster global warming.
• The seas and oceans play an important role in regulating the climate: they have so far absorbed more than 90 percent of the additional heat energy generated by man-made greenhouse gas emissions – and have significantly delayed the effects of climate change. However, the oceans cannot absorb carbon dioxide and heat indefinitely.
• Seas and oceans are unique ecosystems and places of biodiversity: they provide a habitat for probably over a million species. A good third – especially the deep sea – are not yet known or researched. If species are severely depleted or become extinct and thus lose their ecological functions, this can have serious consequences.

But the seas and oceans are reaching their limits – to the detriment of us humans:

• They are polluted and over-fertilized: the overexploitation of the seas and oceans through shipping, the extraction of raw materials, construction activities, tourism and the disposal of waste in the sea are seriously endangering the seas and oceans as habitats. The high input of pollutants and nutrients from industry, agriculture and households also leads to oxygen depletion in the water and to changes in entire material cycles in the sea.
• They are overfished: three quarters of the world’s marine fish stocks are considered to be overfished or exploited to their carrying capacity. A number of fish stocks have already collapsed due to excessive catches – to the detriment of the people who live from them.
• They are too acidic: Due to the ability of the seas and oceans to store greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, the pH value of seawater is continuously decreasing – this process has a detrimental effect on marine life, food chains and ecosystems in many ways.
• They are too warm: man-made global warming is causing the water temperatures of the seas and oceans to rise steadily: In 2024, the average surface temperatures of all oceans were higher than at any time since measurements began in the 1980s. The lack of oxygen in the water caused by warming is endangering marine life and ecosystems. Increased evaporation is also causing more frequent and stronger storms and storm surges.
• They are too high: as a result of global warming – melting ice on the polar ice caps and warmer water that is expanding – sea levels have risen by an average of around ten centimetres over the past 50 years. According to many climate researchers, the rise is likely to accelerate in the coming decades. There are major regional differences.
• They are too loud: Marine mammals and other sea creatures are suffering from steadily increasing underwater noise from, for example, ship traffic, dredging, naval sonar, munitions explosions and construction activity. Marine mammals are disturbed in their perception of sound signals that are essential for their survival. Due to a lack of opportunities to retreat, they are exposed to considerable stress, which can lead to death.

Further information on the connection between climate and the sea can be found on the MeereOnline information portal.