Life Below Earth Booklet - Flipbook - Page 7
SUSTAINING MARINE LIFE
14 - UN Sustainable
Development Goal
14.1 - Reduce
marine pollution
14.2 - Protect and
restore ecosystems
As part of SMI’s 昀椀ve key aspects within our environmental pillar, we are committed to
supporting the targets of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
14.1 by 2025, prevent and signi昀椀cantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, from land-based
activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution. (UN, 2024)
14.2 by 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid
signi昀椀cant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience and act for their
restoration to achieve healthy and productive oceans. (UN, 2024)
Life Below Water, the 14th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), emphasises the urgent
need for change in how we protect and manage our oceans. Targets 1 and 2 focuses on
protecting our coastal ecosystems and reducing marine pollution. The goals also recognise
the vital importance of healthy oceans and how the seas are key to our survival, contributing
to the overall health of our planet by regulating climate, providing oxygen, absorbing carbon
dioxide and supporting the global food chain. However, human activities have severely
impacted these priceless ecosystems. Oceans are essential to economic development and
they play a key role in poverty eradication (SDG 1) by providing sustainable livelihoods and
decent work (SDG 8). Over three billion people rely on marine and coastal resources for their
income (UN, 2024). By reducing our use of single-use plastics, we are helping to minimise the
potential for ocean litter and its negative impact on marine ecosystems.
The ocean faces numerous urgent dangers, here are just a few of the largest threats to our
planet’s largest ecosystem.
Over昀椀shing
More than a third of global
昀椀sh stocks are over昀椀shed
Coastal eutrophication
Causing algal blooms
and dead zones
Ocean warming
Rising sea levels are
e昀昀ecting the ecosystem
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