A recent study covered by India Today cautions that humanity’s growing pressure on oceans is rapidly intensifying, with cumulative impact expected to double by 2050 if current trends persist. Key drivers include ocean warming, acidification, loss of fisheries biomass, nutrient pollution, and rising sea levels all eroding marine resilience and jeopardizing ocean-based livelihoods. 

Warming seas responsible for absorbing over 90% of excess heat globally fuel marine heatwaves, coral bleaching, and disrupted currents, while acidification undermines shell-building marine life. Meanwhile, overfishing has pushed many fish stocks beyond sustainable levels, threatening food security and collapsing ecosystem balance. Pollution plastics, nutrient runoff, and chemical waste further weakens these ecosystems, particularly in vulnerable coral reefs and coastal zones. 

The IUCN alerts us that over 1,500 marine species face extinction risk from these compounding threats. With ocean-based trade and global economies in the balance, the stakes couldn’t be higher.