The Ocean Decade, 2021-2030: Its aims, importance and progress so far

The Ocean Decade – officially the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) – is generating new marine research, advancing ocean solutions and celebrating our connection to the ocean. The global initiative seeks to revolutionise ocean science and support a productive, resilient, safe and sustainable ocean. It was established in response to the lack of scientific data referring to the ocean, particularly in relation to certain regions and countries. As we are more than halfway through the 2020s, it now seems appropriate to take stock of the Ocean Decade’s goals and progress.  

In this episode, Alison Clausen, Deputy Coordinator of the Ocean Decade (pictured above), shares her updates and thoughts about the importance of the ocean in a world where it is too often neglected in policy and media circles. Speaking from UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris during the height of a European heatwave in late June 2026, Alison explains how the ocean is being affected by climate change, but how it can also help address climate change. She describes how the health of the ocean is increasingly gaining public attention, in part due to the release of David Attenborough’s blockbuster nature documentary Ocean.  

The value of studying past energy transitions, particularly in the global south, is highlighted during a discussion about the Sail to Steam, Carbon to Green project, funded by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, at the University of Portsmouth. Alison reflects upon how lessons need to be learned from the past to chart more sustainable pathways forward, and upon the urgency of saving the ocean, especially as coastal communities have shown how it is changing and being damaged.  

The Port Cities and Maritime Cultures podcast series is presented by Dr Guy Collender, of the Centre for Port Cities and Maritime Cultures at the University of Portsmouth.