Keep the Blue Alive · Protect Our Ocean

Why the ocean matters

It is Earth’s largest life-support system. Tiny plankton produce oxygen, seawater absorbs carbon dioxide and excess heat, and billions of people depend on the sea for food and work.

71%of Earth’s surface is covered by ocean

~50%of our oxygen comes from marine life (common estimate)

~90%of the extra heat from warming is absorbed by the sea (common estimate)

~8Mtonnes of plastic reach the ocean each year (common estimate)

Homes beneath the surface

These ecosystems cover little space but do enormous work. They are also fragile.

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Coral reefs

A tiny share of the seafloor, yet home to roughly a quarter of marine species. Warm water causes bleaching.

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Mangroves

Tangled roots calm waves, hold the shore together, shelter young fish and store large amounts of carbon.

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Seagrass meadows

Underwater prairies that feed turtles and dugongs, nurse juvenile fish and capture carbon.

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Open ocean

Whales, tuna and deep-sea life need clean, quiet water. Noise, nets and pollution disturb them.

What is putting it at risk

Tap a card to see how each threat harms the sea.

Bags and lost fishing nets entangle or are swallowed by animals. Broken into microplastics, they enter the food chain and eventually return to our plates.

When fish are caught faster than they can breed, populations collapse and the whole marine food web is damaged.

Hotter water bleaches corals. Absorbing more carbon dioxide makes seawater more acidic, making it harder for shellfish and corals to build their skeletons.

Land reclamation and shoreline construction shrink mangroves, tidal flats and wetlands, leaving fish and migratory birds without homes.

Oil spills and farm or industrial runoff create low-oxygen “dead zones” and toxic algal blooms.

What we can do

Change happens at every scale. Pick a level to see ideas.

Carry a reusable bottle, bag and cutlery to cut single-use plastic.
Choose seafood with sustainability certification and avoid products made from coral or turtle shell.
Travel low-carbon and save energy to slow warming.
Pick eco-friendly laundry and care products to reduce microplastics.

Join or organize a beach or river clean-up and sort the waste you collect.
Never pour used oil, medicine or chemicals down the drain.
Run ocean talks and projects in schools and neighborhoods.
At the shore, don’t step on reefs or take living creatures home.

Create and enforce marine protected areas and fishing seasons.
Cut pollution at its source, on land, before it reaches the sea.
Restore mangroves, seagrass and coastal wetlands.
Back clean energy and greener shipping to lower ocean emissions.

Dates worth marking

Put these on your calendar.

June 8

World Oceans Day. A UN-recognized day to celebrate and protect the sea.

July 18

China’s National Ocean Awareness Day, dedicated to spreading ocean knowledge.

Ocean quiz

Four quick questions. How deep does your ocean knowledge go?

My ocean pledge

Tick what you will do and watch your progress rise.

Use less single-use plastic and bring my own bottle and bag Take all my litter home from the beach Choose sustainable seafood and avoid endangered-species products Save energy and travel low-carbon Share what I learned with friends and family

Start with one small action.