Oceans in Crisis: Sea Levels Rising Twice as Fast, Illegal Squid Fleets Caught with Forced Labour

Oceans in Crisis: Sea Levels Rising Twice as Fast, Illegal Squid Fleets Caught with Forced Labour

The world’s oceans are under “severe and accelerating” pressure from human activities, with sea-level rise doubling in the last decade and a hidden crisis of illegal fishing and forced labour exposed in the global squid industry.

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A new global assessment by the United Nations warns that pollution, large-scale industrial fishing, and the climate crisis are pushing ocean systems to the brink. The rate of sea-level rise has doubled in the last ten years, and the combined stressors are causing widespread loss of biodiversity, putting marine ecosystems under “severe strain” [168351].

On World Oceans Day, the non-profit Environmental Justice Foundation published an investigation revealing widespread environmental destruction and human rights abuses in the global squid industry. The report documents illegal fishing practices that threaten marine ecosystems and exposes cases of forced labour on squid vessels. Experts say the findings highlight a hidden crisis in the seafood supply chain [168554].

The UN is calling for a global effort to limit the effects of pollution, industrial fishing, and the climate crisis [168351]. Meanwhile, scientists and activists warn that Southeast Asia’s rarest animals are vanishing. The Javan rhino and Sumatran rhino now number only a few dozen each, and the saola—a rare antelope-like animal—may already be extinct. More than 4,300 species in the region risk disappearing forever due to habitat loss, warming seas, and wildlife trafficking [155277].

In Cuba, climate change, human activity, and weak protections threaten the island’s rich biodiversity, with scientists and activists fighting to save endangered species [147762]. Along Freetown’s coastline, the slow disappearance of mangroves is putting entire communities in danger, threatening the oyster farming tradition that has supported generations of women [158244].

Experts say the global north lacks understanding of valuable climate knowledge held by communities in the global south, whose inherited experiences and unique approaches are essential for building effective solutions to the climate crisis [168201].

Sources

UN: Sea level rise doubles in 10 years, oceans under 'severe' stress #168351Squid Fleets Caught: Illegal Fishing and Forced Labour Exposed #168554Southeast Asia’s rarest animals down to last few dozen #155277Cuba’s Wildlife Under Siege: Who Will Save It? #147762Mangroves vanish, oyster farmers at risk. #158244Global South holds key to climate survival, experts say #168201

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