OCEAN POLICY

Most basic to these human factors is the sheer number of us, because the overall effect of us is the product of whatever humans do multiplied by how many humans do it. One of the main issues in ocean governance is the lack of governance itself. The Law of the Sea has never been ratified by the United States, a major ocean player. The nations of the world began extending their claims over the waters they control in the 1950s, and 200 nautical miles has become the world standard. Climate change has always occurred, but today the scale and rate of change are driven by human activities. In the oceans, warming waters are causing large-scale redistribution of plankton and many fish species. Arctic Ocean surface water may be seven degrees Celsius warmer by the end of this century. Rising ocean temperature is causing sea levels to rise through expansion of water and melting of land-based ice.