10 Steps Needed for Ocean Action Now

Time​ Magazine

5 days ago

The recent United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice, France, which we joined along with leaders from around the world, brought notable accomplishments in its mission to address the mounting threats to the seas, from pledges to reduce the flow of toxins into the water to new financing commitments for ocean economies. But as Peter Thomson, the UN's Special Envoy for the Ocean, noted as the event closed: 'It's not so much what happens at the conference, it is what happens afterwards.'
So what needs to happen now? The good news is that we have many of the tools. Science and decades of experience have shown us what works. We know how to restore coral reefs, manage fisheries to produce more food and income, and stop fertilizers and untreated sewage from running into the sea. This isn't a crisis of complexity. It's a crisis of execution.
What's missing is broad participation and a focus on clear, immediate, actionable steps. Heads of state, ministers, NGOs, and scientists showed up in force in Nice. But to translate ambitious pledges into durable results, we also need more business leaders at the table. This is an ocean planet. And every company—whether it realizes it or not—depends on the biodiversity, food systems, and shipping routes the ocean sustains. If the ocean fails, we all fail.
That's why the private sector must play a role—not just as funders or advocates, but as partners and engines of solutions that scale. We need more public-private alliances that can help turn proven ocean solutions into real-world outcomes. We've both seen this work through organizations like Friends of Ocean Action, which convenes leaders from across sectors to accelerate ocean solutions and track progress on global goals, and the Florida Keys Environmental Coalition, which works on the ground to protect marine ecosystems and improve water quality across one of America's most vulnerable coastal regions.
We're also inspired by a rising generation of ecopreneurs aiming to fix ocean problems while generating profit. At the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco, held ahead of the UN Ocean Conference, public and private investors pledged $10 billion in new "blue finance" to further scale the rapidly growing ocean economy. The 1000 Ocean Startups coalition, a global network of incubators, accelerators and investors, has already raised more than $4 billion in capital and is halfway to its goal of funding 1,000 ocean ventures tackling marine challenges like seaweed farming, microplastic filtration and wind-powered transport.
Previously, we outlined a straightforward blueprint for global coral reef recovery. These same principles apply across the broader marine agenda. We believe progress can be made between now and the next UN Ocean Conference scheduled for 2028 by focusing on the following 10 steps.
Strengthen U.S. fisheries by ending industrial-scale reduction fishing and midwater trawling for forage fishThese are small fish that feed bigger fish and whole ocean ecosystems. A handful of industrial operations are chiseling away at the base of the food chains for our U.S. coastal economy by scooping up hundreds of thousands of tons of these fish —not for food, but to be ground up into meal and oil, a large proportion which is then exported. Ending these practices and managing forage fish at ecologically sound levels will protect food chains, support fishermen, and improve U.S. marine resilience.
Solve the Tijuana River crisis.For years, billions of gallons of raw sewage and industrial waste from Mexico have poured into American waters off San Diego, harming ecosystems and undermining public health. The solutions, including the installation of floodgates to prevent sewage overflow and stronger oversight of Mexican treatment plants, are well understood. This is a test of will, not capacity.
Make ocean polluters pay.The old notion that 'dilution is the solution to pollution' no longer holds in an era where industrial and pharmaceutical waste is outpacing our ability to detect it. We need a new approach—one that stops pollutants from entering the ocean in the first place and makes transparent who is discharging what, and where. That means clear rules, public reporting, and a robust 'polluter pays' principle to shift the burden onto those doing the damage.
Adopt a new and balanced approach to U.S. marine protected areas.Americans treasure our National Parks on land. There is also a place for parks in the busy, working ocean. Well-designed ocean parks can support tourism, expand the U.S. geopolitical presence, and increase fish stocks. But the real work for a marine protected area begins after they are created. We must continue to invest and care for these parks. In Papahānaumokuākea, American's largest ocean park, that has meant public-private partnerships that ensure access to its sacred places, and funding clean up efforts to remove almost a million pounds of hazardous plastic pollution and debris from its coral reefs.
Extend programs from the Trump administration's marine debris efforts.Targeted cleanups and reductions of plastic pollution and other debris have delivered concrete gains for U.S. fisheries, wildlife, and communities that depend on clean beaches and coastlines. We should reauthorize that mandate and build on and scale those successes.
Restore America's coastal ecosystems.Restoration efforts are needed for our coastal ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrass beds, coral reefs, and salt marshes, as natural hurricane defenses. That includes the Mangrove Breakthrough supported by Salesforce. They are among the most cost-effective ways to protect ocean-front infrastructure from increasingly severe storms.
Shrink the Gulf dead zone.Nutrient runoff is creating massive low-oxygen zones that suffocate Gulf fisheries. Supporting farmers to adopt proven techniques to reduce and soak up pollution before it gets into rivers and oceans is a win for farmers and fishermen alike.
Leverage American innovation to sidestep the need to mine our oceans.By encouraging entrepreneurship and tech advancement we can reduce our reliance on foreign critical minerals and reserve these materials for key defense applications. This includes supporting U.S. national lab programs and private sector innovation to scale up use of next-generation battery technologies built with more readily available materials like iron instead of cobalt. Sustained success here would reduce or eliminate the need to begin mining for these minerals in the ocean—an activity which would negatively impact US fisheries, could introduce toxins into our seafood supply, and involve costly spending by the US government.
Address the Sargassum crisis.Massive seaweed blooms now plague Florida, Texas, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Caribbean. Coordinated cleanup and reduction of nutrient runoff near West Africa and the Amazon—significant Sargassum points of origin—are some of the important steps needed to contain this growing threat.
Stop the sewage killing coral reefs in U.S. waters.Reefs from Florida to Hawai'i are collapsing in part because we have allowed leaking septic systems, outdated infrastructure, and uncontrolled runoff to poison the very ecosystems that sustain tourism, fisheries, and coastal communities.
Across all of these fronts, we believe in a core principle: focus on what's achievable and measurable. With smart, common-sense steps, we can secure thriving oceans that sustain American jobs, coastal communities, and national security—while restoring life to some of the planet's most vital and magnificent ecosystems.