Why Ocean literacy matters now: from awareness to agency
Ocean literacy is defined by the UN as understanding how the Ocean influences us and how we influence the Ocean. In other words, understanding how our economies, food, climate and future depend on a healthy ocean.
The Ocean absorbs c.90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, and c.30% of the CO₂ we produce. It gives us roughly half the oxygen we breathe, regulates climate, supports biodiversity, food security and economic stability. For example, of course oxygen comes from our green leafy, terrestrial co-habitants, but phytoplankton, or microalgae, at the base of the marine food chain produce the other half of the oxygen we breathe. Ninety percent of everything we trade travels across the Ocean, that includes our food, clothes, cars and technology. In fact, the global ocean economy moves around $2.5 trillion per year. Even email and Wi-Fi depend on the Ocean, with almost all international data travelling not through satellites, but through subsea fibre optic cables laid across the ocean floor, circling the planet and tracing coastlines. We depend on the Ocean completely and value it barely. It is the infrastructure of life and the foundation of every market on Earth.
The Ocean Literacy Gap
The problem is that most people, including many decision-makers and leaders, do not fully understand how the Ocean functions as our life-support system, not just environmentally, but economically and technologically. This matters because decisions are being made every day, in finance, policy, business, education and development, with an incomplete understanding of the Ocean and how our lives depend on it. For example, investors deciding where billions are allocated, or ESG and sustainability teams assessing climate, nature and supply chain risks, even education leaders deciding what and how future generations learn. We cannot make wise decisions about things we do not understand, especially our life support system. Another example is investment continuing to fund fossil fuel expansion while simultaneously investing in climate adaptation. It reflects a disconnect between financial decision-making and understanding the Ocean’s role in climate regulation.
Ocean literacy is about moving from awareness to agency. It’s about helping people understand the systems their decisions depend on. We have built economies on the assumption that the Ocean is stable, limitless and separate from us, and it just isn’t.
Knowledge alone does not create change
The solution, or at least part of the solution, is education. I believe education is one of the most powerful enablers of change, but only when it connects to how people make decisions. Knowledge alone does not necessarily change behaviour. We know this from public health, psychology and sustainability. People still smoke despite graphic warnings on cigarette packets. The most obvious scientific evidence is often not acted upon - we have had international climate change legislation and 30 COPs; we know filling knowledge gaps does not automatically lead to action.
The challenge is helping people understand systems enough that it changes how they think, what they value, and ultimately the decisions they make. Technical evidence and science are necessary, but they are insufficient alone to tip systems, in other words, get enough people on board that things actually change. What really tips systems are narratives, incentives, values, culture, political will and societal capacity that eventually changes how and what decisions are made.
So, the challenge is Ocean literacy or even societal Ocean literacy because state capacity only really exists when societies care enough to support or demand action. Science can explain the problem, but societies still need shared understanding, political will and cultural momentum before systems truly begin to shift.
The Big Blue Acceleration
Why does this matter now? Because the blue acceleration is already happening. We are entering a period of rapid expansion in Ocean industries, investment and decision-making, from offshore energy and shipping to seabed extraction, aquaculture and coastal development. This is defined as the ‘blue economy’ the growing recognition that the Ocean underpins enormous economic activity and future development, but that we need to balance economic gains with regeneration of marine ecosystems and Ocean health. The blue economy is valued at over US$2.5 trillion annually (total economic value of ocean-linked sectors, which includes shipping, fishing, aquaculture, and coastal tourism), and if we get this transition right and move away from extractive approaches towards genuinely regenerative ones, it represents one of the greatest opportunities in humanity’s relationship with the biosphere.
This is reflected in global agendas such as SDG14: Life Below Water, which recognises that Ocean health underpins climate resilience, food security, biodiversity and sustainable development. But if we get it wrong, the consequences for climate, biodiversity, food systems and humanity could be profound. There are reasons for optimism. We are already seeing examples of marine restoration, regenerative tourism models and growing recognition within business and finance that long-term economic resilience depends on a healthy Ocean.
This is why Ocean literacy matters now. Ocean literacy provides a shared framework and shared language at a moment when collective understanding is urgently needed, because shared language enables collective action. Ocean literacy must, however, go beyond awareness. It must also help democratise understanding of how marine planning and regulatory decisions are made, who shapes them, what influences them, and how people can engage with them. The mind shift we need is from awareness to agency.
Why I created The Ocean Literacy Project
The Ocean Literacy Project CIC exists to make Ocean literacy as essential as climate literacy. Its aim is to embed Ocean understanding into the places that shape society, including education, business, leadership and governance. Ultimately, this is about equipping people not only with knowledge, but with the confidence and capacity to act.
It’s about making Ocean knowledge more accessible to individuals, communities, leaders and decision-makers, whilst also making it relevant to how people live, work and lead.
We are helping people understand how the Ocean connects to the decisions they make every day. Through certified training, executive education and place-based projects, the project aims to help build Ocean-informed communities, leaders and decision-making across society.
We cannot make wise decisions about systems we do not understand, and at this moment in time, understanding the Ocean may be one of the most important forms of literacy we have.
Author: Leanne Hepburn, PhD, SFHE
Photo credit: Alana Wilson