The United Nations ( Un ) Conference On Sustainable Development

In order to combat inconsistent claims to the sea, spreading pollution, competing demands for living marine organisms, tension between nations for resources, and the increasing push for seabed mineral extraction, UNCLOS was created (United Nations 2013). The primary purpose of UNCLOS is to support the efficient use of marine resources, the conservation of living resources, and the protection/preservation of the marine environment (Wang 2004). One of the main benefits of UNCLOS is that it increases the ability for coastal nations to be able to create their own marine protected areas (MPAs) (Craig 2005). In general, MPAs are considered to be the most effective way to preserve and increase marine biodiversity and create sustainable fisheries (Craig 2005; Metcalfe et al. 2013). Even though it has been proven that they are extremely beneficial, only 1.17% of the ocean’s surface is considered to belong to a MPA. In comparison, about 12.7% of the terrestrial environment is considered to belong to a protected region, even though we impact the terrestrial environment less detrimentally than the marine environment (Metcalfe et al. 2013).

The oceans need to be protected because it is where life began and if not taken care of, life as we know it will end. The well-being of the ocean is constantly being threatened and needs to stop. When dangerous substances go into the ocean, ecosystems suffer and become endangered along with the lives of people and marine life. The importance of protecting and preserving the quality and biodiversity of the world 's coasts must be recognized because they are truly irreplaceable. If humans are not educated , and become careless about what is thrown on the ground or sprayed on lawns, disastrous effects follow when it comes to the condition of the ocean’s ecosystems, which can endanger life itself, leading to a problem only we can correct. There is historical evidence of ocean pollution, although the problem still shadows us today.

Right now, the oceans are facing destruction. Each day new pollutants find their way into the ocean's waters. The pollutants that contaminate the ocean take many forms. Each year millions of gallons of oil are put into the ocean. Toxic materials are dumped into the oceans and add up to deadly proportions. Tons of trash such as plastics and paper are pulled out of the ocean each day. This trash contaminates the water and causes many deaths of marine animals. Everyone on the planet has polluted the oceans one way or another. Factories that are in various industries make an enormous contribution to ocean pollution. These factories use unbelievable amounts of water to make their products. The Natural Resource Defense Council says, "More than four out of every ten gallons of water used in the US are used for industrial purposes." A large amount of this water is dumped back into the oceans. This water is usually not clean, and may contain thousands of different chemicals. When this happens it can kill marine life, contaminate food supplies, and endanger people who use waters for fishing, swimming, or drinking. Water is also dumped back into the oceans by power plants who use it to cool reactors. This water is placed back into the oceans at high temperatures. Dumping water at these high temperatures causes a disruption in the marine environment. According to the book by Peter Weber, "The water from power

Earth's oceans are dying. “About 80% of the ocean around the world is polluted with chemicals industrial and residential waste, all of which comes from the land” (“Marine Problems…”).  Pollution is mainly coming from the people. Marine pollution should be stopped because it is the cause of many problems and if something is done about it, people will see an increase in sea life and healthier waters. It makes its way into the ocean and kills marine life. Ocean pollution is affecting the way of fisherman and their everyday lives. It is also very bad on the community because pollution is very bad on tourism. Ocean pollution should be stopped because it is poorly affecting marine life, it is not good for fishermen, and is very bad on tourism.

The oceans face many types of pollution every day, every second. The ocean is our greatest ecosystem and out most valuable resource. A common misconception is that the rainforests are the lungs of the planet however, the majority of our oxygen is made via the algae in the sea. The oceans feeds, hydrates, and provides us with oxygen; ironically enough, despite its monetary value to mankind, it is what is treated the worst. For ages we have been dumping our trash, chemicals, and waste into the oceans with no fear or regret, almost an “out of sight- out of mind” mentality. People once and still assume that the oceans are so vast that all of the pollution is diluted and would be dispersed through out, going unnoticed. However, dilution is a myth and an idea that renders ocean dumping to be less impactful. Even so much of the man made pollution is becoming even more concentrated and have entered our natural food chain. However vast the waters of the ocean are, they are not meant to house all of these external factors. There are many alternatives to marine pollution including recycling, finding alternative trash dump sites, cutting down on harmful chemicals for agriculture, and most importantly having the ability to recognize when a problem is developing and counter act, immediately.

In last few centuries, the world population has grown in unprecedented amount. The world population has more than doubled in last 50 years, from 3.3 billion in 1965 to 7.3 billion in 2015. Unfortunately, this tremendous amount of growth is now lacking sufficient amount of natural resources. Oceans fish population has declined by 49% from 1970 to 2012 and according to recent study, salt-water fish can be extinct by 2048. Economy of Asia-Pacific is heavily dependent on marine resources. Therefore, it is necessary for nations to work together to protect marine habitats and avoid an economic meltdown. No nation can solve the problem of marine sustainability by itself. Without international cooperation now, we will be heading toward a frightful crisis.

The targets within goal 14 are, for the most part, currently measured. Target 14.1 is partially measured, in that studies on marine pollution are

14.1 by 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution

The ocean covers 70 percent of Earth’s surface, and is constantly being destroyed by humans every day. Coral reefs are dying, big marine life populations are becoming endangered and over fished, and plastic is polluting and killing sea life. Ninety-five percent of Earth’s ocean has yet to be explored and there is still so much life out there waiting to be discovered. Something needs to be done to protect and preserve the natural beauty and life of the ocean so it will live long enough for us to make those discoveries. The decline of large marine life from illegal fishing and overfishing, from bycatch and plastic pollution, and from global warming and excess carbon dioxide is all having a huge impact on the survival of the ocean, and on the survival of human kind. Now is the time to raise awareness and to start doing whatever we can to protect our ocean wildlife and the biodiversity of the ecosystem. We need to keep pollution out of our water ways, which all lead to the ocean, and we need to keep global warming at bay so our ocean can stay healthy and stay alive.

The majority of the targets for the Sustainable Development Goal of conserving ocean and marine resources were measurable and can be attained through sensible efforts and dedication. However, targets 14.1 and 14.2 were not as fully measurable as others due to vague execution methods for addressing the issue in concern. To further explain, target 14.1 has a measurable target of reducing pollution, but does not further elaborate on how to do so. Furthermore, target 14.2 addresses the measurable requirement to protect oceanic and marine ecosystems, yet the approaches to solving the problem included “strengthening their resilience, and taking action…”, which appear to sound vague and immeasurable (UNSDKP). Therefore, a good approach to dealing with these issues is to educate and raise awareness to the public about the harmful consequences of polluting the ocean. Moreover, targets 14.3 and 14.4 were substantially more measurable and addressed a direct, realistic solution to the issues. These targets discuss ocean acidification and overfishing respectively, both being measurable since acidity levels and fish population can be measured overtime. The direct solution to both issues is scientific cooperation, where a scientific approach is most likely able to resolve these matters. Likewise targets 14.5 and 14.6 are measurable because land area and subsidies can be quantified. Target 14.7 is not only a measurable target, but also rewarding. Firstly, economic benefits are measurable

The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 was drafted to preserve oceans. This goal describes various targets that are currently measured in part. However, barriers still exist in terms of accurate assessment of certain targets.

The ocean covers more than 70% of the earth’s surface. Ocean processes help to regulate global climate, weather, temperature, provide ecosystem services, food and livelihood security. Despite our dependence on the continued functioning of the ocean we understand very little about it. The ocean stores about a third of anthropogenic emissions and contains about 38,000 gigatonnes of carbon (GtC). That is 50 times more than the atmosphere with 762 GtC. There is no denying the vital role of the ocean in buying society more time in the face of a changing climate and the role it will play in the future. For this reason, if the ocean is to continue playing this essential role we must carefully consider the consequences and impacts of any and all climate engineering manipulations. This includes any course of action that may dilute or overburden the capacity of the ocean to act as a sink.

The earth summit to be held between 20 and 22 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will be the United Nations new attempt to advance the commitment of States and the world community in the major transitions in the new millennium. The summit is officially named the United NationsConference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD). This summit is the third after the first and historic one in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 which was followed by the Johannesburg summit in 2002 all being held after a period of ten years (Pickering & Owen 1994).

UN activity in the field of environment has been driven by major conferences and reports.

Targets 15.2 through 15.5 and 15.8 focus on conserving specific ecosystems and reducing biodiversity loss. Each specifies a deadline year (2020 or 2030) for being in progress or completed, which helps to measure the timeline for the goal. Each target can be quantified in several ways but they don’t specify how exactly to quantify it. The target year makes the deadline measurable but the method of measuring the target itself is not specific enough.