Hawksbill Turtle in Komodo National Park. © Paul Hilton / Greenpeace

Protect the oceans

For centuries, people have assumed that our vast ocean was limitless and immune to human impacts. It’s only recently that scientists have come to understand the devastating effects we’ve already had on the seas.

The oceans are in more trouble than ever before

Right now it is estimated that up to 12 million metric tons of plastic—everything from plastic bottles and bags to microbeads—end up in the oceans each year. That’s a truckload of trash every minute.

Traveling on ocean currents, this plastic is now turning up in every corner of our planet, from Florida beaches to uninhabited Pacific islands. It is even being found in the deepest part of the ocean and trapped in Arctic ice.

The oceans are slowly turning into a plastic soup, and the effects on ocean life are devastating. Plastic pieces of all sizes choke and clog the stomachs of creatures who mistake it for food, from tiny zooplankton to whales. Plastic is now entering every level of the ocean food chain and is even ending up in the seafood on our plates.

But it doesn’t have to be this way. That’s why we are campaigning to end the flow of single-use plastic into our oceans.

Plastic Waste in Verde Island, Philippines. © Noel Guevara / Greenpeace

Humpback mother and her calf, approximately 6 weeks old

How we protect the oceans

We are calling on big corporations to act to reduce their plastic footprint—and stop producing plastic packaging that is designed to be used for just a few minutes before it ends up in landfills, incinerators and out polluting our environment for a lifetime.

We’re also working hard to address other serious threats facing our oceans. Unsustainable industrial fishing is destroying habitats and endangering countless species. The climate crisis and ocean acidification—both the result of our reliance on fossil fuels—are having more and more extreme impacts on ocean health. Today, overfishing and bycatch kills about 63 billion pounds of marine animals every year. Human activity is disrupting the balance of marine ecosystems across the globe. The impacts on humans are equally severe. Overfishing compromises food security and the livelihoods of fishing communities. Human trafficking and forced labor remain huge problems on many fishing fleets.

We’re also working to protect the oceans through a network of sanctuaries. Globally, less than 2 percent of the ocean is under protection. We’re campaigning to establish ocean sanctuaries in 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030.

These sanctuaries will preserve biodiversity, help endangered species recover, and give marine life a fighting chance to survive the rapid changes we are causing to the planet. Ocean sanctuaries can also help replenish fish populations decimated by overfishing. This would mean a more dependable food supply for the billions of people who get some of their protein from seafood.

Scientists say the wave of extinction facing the ocean in the coming century could be the worst since the dinosaur age. If we don’t change the way we do things, and fast, we are on track to cause irreversible damage to the ocean and the collapse of some of the most important food sources in the world.

If we work together, a world that respects our oceans, their inhabitants, and the people who depend on them is in our reach. We want a better future for our oceans and the people that depend on them. Learn more about our campaign to protect the oceans and ways you can get involved.

Learn more about…

Deep sea mining

Protecting workers & wildlife at sea

The Global Oceans Treaty

The threats facing our oceans get more urgent every day. The vast areas outside countries’ national waters are in the most danger, as they don’t have any proper protection, which leaves whales, turtles and dolphins at risk.

Scientists have a new rescue plan for our oceans: a global network of ocean sanctuaries that would put millions of square miles off limits to destructive industries. But to make that happen, world governments must ratify the Global Ocean Treaty at the United Nations in 2025. We need as many people as possible to show these decision-makers why ocean protection matters.