Ocean Science for Sustainable Development

NOAA & The Ocean Decade

The Ocean Decade

This “Ocean Decade” focuses the world’s attention on the science and partnerships we need to make the future of the ocean healthy, productive, and sustainable for the benefit of society.

Covering 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and producing more than half its oxygen , the ocean is critical to life on our planet. Understanding, protecting and sustainably managing ocean habitats is essential to a healthy society, and learning more about how the ocean regulates and influences the Earth’s climate is key to understanding and predicting climate change. But ongoing threats to ocean health – and the critical life-sustaining resources it provides – has led to international consensus on the need for an “Ocean Decade : a global campaign for transformational ocean science that makes sustainable development possible.

Outcomes for Societal Benefit

The United Nations designates specific days, weeks, years and decades to mark particular events or topics and promote awareness and action. In 2017, the UN General Assembly declared 2021-2030 the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development . This “Ocean Decade” aims to achieve seven societal outcomes:

A clean ocean where sources of pollution are identified and removed
A healthy and resilient ocean where marine ecosystems are mapped and protected
A predictable ocean where society has the capacity to understand current and future ocean conditions
A safe ocean where people are protected from ocean hazards

NOAA and the Ocean Decade

NOAA’s work directly supports the Ocean Decade with science and services designed to achieve these seven outcomes to achieve a healthy blue economy for an equitable and sustainable planet. NOAA mission areas are well reflected in collaborative Ocean Decade actions endorsed by the United Nations Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC).

NOAA works with the U.S. National Committee for the Ocean Decade and the Interagency Working Group for the Ocean Decade to ensure the breadth of America’s expertise can contribute.

U.S. National Committee for the Ocean Decade

Countries are connected by one global ocean, and the advancement of ocean science in the U.S. creates a ripple effect across local, regional, and global scales. The Ocean Decade presents a tremendous opportunity for the U.S. to enhance domestic and international partnerships that enable the Department to achieve its goals of tackling climate change, promoting economic development while advancing the Blue Economy, and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion,, while contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals .

Bringing the Ocean Decade home

The world is connected by one global ocean, and the advancement of ocean science in the U.S. creates a ripple effect across local, regional, national and global scales. The Ocean Decade also presents a tremendous opportunity for the U.S. to shape the future of ocean and coastal science, technology and sustainable development over the next ten years and beyond. Domestic and international partnerships enable the U.S. to achieve its goals of safeguarding human health, tackling climate change, ensuring coastal resilience and promoting economic prosperity, while contributing to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.