Throughout history, the oceans have been a base of mystery and inspiration for humanity, a means of livelihood and scientific progress. They sustain life on Earth and offer numerous opportunities to drive sustainable development in various domains. The sustainable exploitation of marine resources can feed a growing global population and boost the bioproducts industry, namely bioplastics and biofuels. The oceans represent a promising source of clean energy using technologies based on wave and tidal energy. The digitalisation of the oceans, using advanced monitoring and data collection systems, can enable more effective management of marine resources and a more accurate understanding of the circulation of ocean currents and ecosystems. The oceans play a crucial role in regulating the global climate, acting as an important carbon sink. However, this process has led to ocean acidification that negatively affects marine life and impacts its distribution.
The International Convention on the Law of the Sea, a monumental agreement, has not been sufficiently prepared to solve problems that are not sufficiently obvious but already exist and are increasingly serious, such as acidification, loss of biodiversity, deoxygenation, new pollutants such as plastic, the impact of alien species, rising temperatures and the melting of polar ice.
A biodiversidade marinha enfrenta uma crise inédita. A sua conservação não é apenas uma questão de responsabilidade ambiental mas também uma necessidade para garantir a segurança alimentar, a saúde dos ecossistemas e a estabilidade do clima global. A governação dos oceanos é uma questão crítica no cenário global. Dada a sua natureza transfronteiriça, são essenciais uma governação eficaz e cooperação internacional para garantir a sua sustentabilidade. Uma boa governação requer conhecimentos rigorosos e complexos e atenção redobrada.
It’s not just about promoting and valuing scientific evidence, but also about combating lies promoted by fake news and post-factual beliefs. It is urgent to combat the denial of data and refute the factory of parallel realities associated with a mixture of ignorance and political irresponsibility. Embracing these challenges and meeting the ever-evolving needs of the Ocean of the Future is a responsibility to protect the well-being of our planet and its inhabitants. The recent shift in the recognition of the importance of this vast ecosystem has led to the adoption of collective measures to address the problems at hand. Fostering global cooperation, embracing technological innovations, promoting the conservation and restoration of this ecosystem, and adopting climate action measures will ensure a more sustainable and prosperous future for the global Ocean, for current and future generations. As we look to the future, it becomes clear that the ocean will play a critical role in the path to a more sustainable world. The path is winding and still uncertain, so it deserves deep reflection. It is this reflection that the Institute of Higher Studies of the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon intends to promote with this cycle.
