From flooding to droughts, the climate crisis is inextricably linked to water. Protecting the global water cycle can help us achieve many of the SDGs. Public-partnerships can unlock innovative solutions for a sustainable future. — by Mariana Mazzucato, Professor, University College London (UCL) for the World Economic Forum Water is in crisis — as it is both a driver and victim of climate change. This year was supposed to be the year that water finally took its place in the spotlight: the first UN water conference in almost 50 years…

An ethos is defined as “the spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations.” In my 2015 book, The Once and Future Ocean, I propose that access to the ocean/freshwater continuum be acknowledged as a universal human right and that we establish a new…

In my reading, I recently came across the phrase oceanic feeling as apparently mentioned by Romain Rolland, recipient of the 1915 Nobel Prize for Literature, in a letter to Sigmund Freud regarding the concept of spontaneous religious feeling, the simple and direct fact of awareness of the “eternal” without perceptible…

The ocean is our origin; we come from water. We are made of water. It is the source and essence of our being. Water is life. As such, in its breadth and duration, it defines our culture, our every thought and act, our every ritual, our every story of birth…

Water is the well-spring of world ocean health. Water is the font of life. It is the essential natural system that sustains us all, and thus its protection and sustainability are the key strategy for rescue. Simply put, we live in a hydraulic society — an architecture that connects us…

by Guy Standing, author of The Blue Commons: Rescuing the Economy of the Sea The world economy could be on the brink of lurching into a wild west frenzy of resource extraction and accelerated environmental decay. It concerns deep-sea mining for what is undoubtedly a huge array of minerals needed…

by Peter Neill, Director for World Ocean Observatory I often hear my generation lament, “What a sad situation we have created for our children and grandchildren — the pollution, the climate crisis, sea level rise, and so much more.” All true, but perhaps not so despairing as it sounds, in…

World Ocean Explorer virtual aquarium project is an innovative tool by which to present responsible science, innovative education, and a unique virtual experience freely accessible to all. — by Peter Neill, Director, World Ocean Observatory Advocates for ocean literacy abound, and individual curricula are many. The World Ocean Observatory has attempted to curate this list into a Curriculum Catalog as an educational resource for educators and learners everywhere. But, even with easy access to that collection, educators still…

Recommendations to further protect the ocean — by building ocean literacy into every level of education and action around the world — Whatever steps we have taken historically to protect the ocean through public engagement have not been enough. In reality, everyone on Earth is a member of a global community of “Citizens of the Ocean,” and their engagement is essential to our plan for R.E.S.C.U.E. that we have been discussing in…