Reviving the Ocean Economy

The report estimates the global ocean's total asset base at at least US$24 trillion, with an annual 'gross marine product' of US$2.5 trillion, making it the world's seventh largest economy. It warns that over two-thirds of this value depends on healthy ocean conditions, which are currently being eroded by overfishing, pollution, and climate change. The document proposes eight strategic actions, including expanding marine protected areas to 30% by 2030 and decarbonizing energy systems to prevent the projected disappearance of coral reefs by 2050.

• The ocean's total asset base is conservatively estimated at at least US$24 trillion, with an annual 'gross marine product' (GMP) of at least US$2.5 trillion. If the ocean were a country, its GMP would make it the seventh largest economy in the world.
• More than two-thirds of the ocean's annual base economic value is derived from assets that depend directly on healthy ocean conditions.
• Ocean acidification and warming are occurring at unprecedented speeds; total ocean acidity has increased by 26% since the pre-industrial period, and the ocean is projected to warm by 3-5°C by the end of the century under current projections.
• Coral reefs, the most diverse marine ecosystem, are projected to disappear by 2050 if current temperature rise rates continue. Approximately 50% of reef-building corals have already disappeared over the last 30 years.
• Global fisheries are in significant decline, with 61.3% fully exploited and 28.8% over-exploited, depleted, or recovering from depletion.
• Mangrove deforestation is occurring at a rate three to five times higher than the average global forest loss, resulting in annual economic losses of up to US$42 billion.
• The report recommends eight key actions to restore the ocean economy, prioritizing three for 2015: integrating ocean recovery into the UN Post-2015 Agenda/SDGs, taking global action against climate change (specifically via COP21), and managing 10% of marine areas by 2020, increasing to 30% by 2030.
• The Arctic is warming more than twice as fast as the global average, leading to the loss of sea ice and threatening the livelihoods of Northern peoples and ice-dependent species.

APA

Hoegh-Guldberg, O. (2015). Reviving the Ocean Economy. WWF International. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/877/7b5azirtwq_Reviving_Ocean_Economy_REPORT_low_res.pdf

Chicago

Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove. Reviving the Ocean Economy. WWF International, 2015. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/877/7b5azirtwq_Reviving_Ocean_Economy_REPORT_low_res.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hoegh-Guldberg |first1=Ove |title=Reviving the Ocean Economy |publisher=WWF International |date=April 2015 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/877/7b5azirtwq_Reviving_Ocean_Economy_REPORT_low_res.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hoeghguldberg2015reviving, author = {Hoegh-Guldberg, Ove}, title = {{Reviving the Ocean Economy}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2015}, month = apr, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/877/7b5azirtwq_Reviving_Ocean_Economy_REPORT_low_res.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }