UN expert warns ocean degradation threatens human rights globally

March 15, Kathmandu: Ocean degradation threatens communities and human rights worldwide, including the right to a healthy environment, according to a report by the UN Special Rapporteur, Astrid Puentes Riaño

In her report to the Human Rights Council, she stressed that states must protect marine ecosystems to uphold human rights, noting that degradation worsens inequalities, especially for marginalized groups.

Covering 70% of Earth’s surface and supporting 2.4 billion coastal residents, the ocean faces threats from climate change, overfishing, pollution, and weak governance.

Puentes Riaño called for a human rights-based approach to ocean governance, integrating ancestral knowledge and stricter regulations on extractive industries.

She urged immediate action to preserve marine biodiversity, cautioning that its loss endangers millions of lives and rights, and emphasized that ocean challenges are human rights issues demanding urgent, unified efforts.