Why now? Why the ocean?
Earth is an ocean planet, and all life here depends on the ocean. The ocean gives us the oxygen we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat. It protects and sustains billions of people worldwide.
The ocean is also the engine of Earth’s climate, supplying and absorbing heat, regulating the planetary water cycle, and housing 20 times more carbon than the atmosphere and terrestrial plants combined. Put simply, the ocean is climate, and the climate is the ocean.
But as we change the planet's climate, the ocean is also changing, threatening the processes that regulate the climate and make Earth livable.
With our help and with careful, science-based strategies, we could protect these vital life support systems and help the ocean do even more. It could help feed our growing population safely and sustainably for generations and protect coastal communities from storms and sea-level rise. Managed correctly, ocean-based carbon dioxide removal might even help us meet the Paris Climate Accords and limit warming to 1.5˝C or even reverse the course of climate change.
The Ocean Pavilion is just the start of this search for solutions to our climate crisis. Our path will not be easy, but on this ocean planet it is only natural that we should turn to the ocean for answers.
