Enhancing Human Health and Wellbeing through Sustainably and Equitably Unlocking a Healthy Ocean’s Potential

Fleming, Lora E. and Landrigan, Philip J. and Ashford, Oliver S. and Whitman, Ella M. and Swift, Amy and Gerwick, William H. and Heymans, Johanna J. and Hicks, Christina C. and Morrissey, Karyn and White, Mathew P. and Alcantara-Creencia, Lota and Alexander, Karen A. and Astell-Burt, Thomas and Berlinck, Roberto G. S. and Cohen, Philippa J. and Hixson, Richard and Islam, Mohammad Mahmudul and Iwasaki, Arihiro and Praptiwi, Radisti A. and Raps, Hervé and Remy, Jan Yves and Sowman, Georgina and Ternon, Eva and Thiele, Torsten and Thilsted, Shakuntala H. and Uku, Jacqueline and Ockenden, Stephanie and Kumar, Pushpam (2024) Enhancing Human Health and Wellbeing through Sustainably and Equitably Unlocking a Healthy Ocean’s Potential. Annals of Global Health, 90 (1): 41. ISSN 2214-9996

Abstract

A healthy ocean is essential for human health, and yet the links between the ocean and human health are often overlooked. By providing new medicines, technologies, energy, foods, recreation, and inspiration, the ocean has the potential to enhance human health and wellbeing. However, climate change, pollution, biodiversity loss, and inequity threaten both ocean and human health. Sustainable realisation of the ocean’s health benefits will require overcoming these challenges through equitable partnerships, enforcement of laws and treaties, robust monitoring, and use of metrics that assess both the ocean’s natural capital and human wellbeing. Achieving this will require an explicit focus on human rights, equity, sustainability, and social justice. In addition to highlighting the potential unique role of the healthcare sector, we offer science-based recommendations to protect both ocean health and human health, and we highlight the unique potential of the healthcare sector tolead this effort.