Global Ocean Treaty
Deep Sea Mining
South Tasman
Marine Sanctuary
Sustainable Fishing
Protecting The Ocean
Oceans sustain life on our blue planet – but they’re under threat from climate change, industrial fishing, plastic pollution, and the looming threat of deep sea mining. Ocean protection can’t wait any longer.
Sign our petition to call on Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and Foreign Minister Penny Wong to urgently ratify the Global Oceans Treaty, and create a sanctuary for the South Tasman Sea and Lord Howe Rise.
Sign petition1%
How much of the High Seas is currently protected. We must increase this to 30% by 2030
50-75
trillion
The number of pieces of plastic in our oceans. By 2050, our oceans could have more plastic than fish
+5000
The number of species recently discovered in the Pacific, now under threat of extinction because of deep sea mining
Why we need to protect our oceans
Oceans Are Life. Without the oceans, there is no life on this blue planet. They regulate our climate, provide for billions of people and are home to so much of this planet’s biodiversity.
From majestic whales to adorable octopuses, colourful coral reefs full of life to the vast mystery of the deep oceans where life has been evolving slowly for millions of years at its own pace untouched by human activity. The global oceans are the origin of life, the support system for life, and the common heritage of all humankind – but a few corporations and governments want to plunder them for profit and change the balance of their delicate ecosystems forever.
Centuries of industrial fishing, pollution, oil and gas drilling and much more have plunged the oceans into crisis. Factory fishing ships bulldoze deep sea habitats and kill marine life at an industrial scale. CO2 emissions driving the climate emergency are changing the very chemistry of our warming oceans. And a new threat, deep sea mining, looms large, threatening to wreck the deep oceans before we’ve even begun to properly understand them.
How is Greenpeace helping to protect our oceans?
Our global movement of millions of people have inspired governments around the world to support the Global Ocean Treaty, providing us with a powerful tool that can create vast ocean sanctuaries and protect our marine habitats.
By banning deep sea mining, we could stop a dangerous new threat to the oceans before it begins. Our momentum can make sure that deep sea mining is never allowed to start: we’ve put the brakes on the industry in 2023, and in the coming years we can stop it forever – protecting half the surface of the planet from extraction.
By creating ocean sanctuaries, we can give the oceans space to recover from centuries of neglect and the many threats currently facing them such as trawling, long lining, plastic pollution and climate change. Ocean sanctuaries covering 30% of the oceans by 2030 can ensure healthy oceans that allow marine life to thrive.
Harnessing the collective power of individuals and communities around the world, Greenpeace aims to secure long-term protections for marine ecosystems and ensure that our precious oceans remain vibrant and resilient for generations to come.
Your donation can help secure the future of our oceans
Our work is 100% funded by people like you. A regular donation, every 4 weeks is the most effective way to ensure we can fight daily to ensure world leaders act urgently to secure the future of our oceans and all life on Earth.
Learn more about our Oceans
Get involved
Greedy companies want to mine the seafloor for profit. 2 million people worldwide say no to deep sea mining – will you join them?
Governments around the world are now negotiating a Global Plastics Treaty – an agreement that could solve the planetary crisis brought by runaway plastic production. Let's end the age of plastic – sign the petition for a strong Global Plastics Treaty now.
Sign our petition to call on Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek and Foreign Minister Penny Wong to urgently ratify the Global Oceans Treaty, and create a sanctuary for the South Tasman Sea and Lord Howe Rise.
Your support will help refit, equip and crew our vessel, turning it into a powerful force for change on the high seas. Donate now to be a part of this historic mission.
We call on the Australian Federal Government to protect the Great Barrier Reef from the impacts of climate change by replacing all coal-burning power stations with clean and safe renewable energy by 2030 and committing to net-zero by 2035.
How well do you know Australia’s marine life?
Stretching over 50,000 kilometres, Australia’s coastline is a haven for some of the world’s most awe-inspiring marine biodiversity. But how well do you know the wonders lurking beneath the surface of our waters? Dive in and take this quiz to test your knowledge!
Report: From Commitment to Action – Achieving the 30×30 target through the Global Ocean Treaty
In 2022, the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), which aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss.…
Report: In Hotter Water – How the Global Ocean Treaty can boost climate action
In December 2019, Greenpeace International released 30×30 In Hot Water: The climate crisis and the urgent need for ocean protection. This makes the scientific case for creating a network of marine sanctuaries covering at least 30% of the world’s ocean, both to increase marine life’s resilience to climate change and to help mitigate its effect…
Report: How the Global Ocean Treaty can help repair high seas mismanagement
This report explores how Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) have not met their mandate for sustainably managing the impacts of fishing activity on biodiversity in international waters. It then sets out how the recently won Global Ocean Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) can remedy this systematic mismanagement of biodiversity on the high seas.
REPORT: 30×30 From Global Ocean Treaty to Protection at Sea
This report offers clear routes to action to get across the finishing line and help the oceans thrive again.
REPORT: Deep Trouble
The murky world of the deep sea mining industry.
REPORT: The Dispersant Delusion – Equinor’s plan to poison the Great Australian Bight
Our report shows that regulators plan to allow Equinor to respond to an oil spill in the Great Australian Bight by deploying a banned chemical cocktail that doesn’t work.
Report: In Hot Water – The Climate Crisis and the Urgent Need for Ocean Protection
We are standing at a pivotal moment in history. A global movement unlike anything we’ve seen before is demanding governments take action to address the climate emergency. Young people, inspired…
REPORT: Offshore petroleum drilling and risk – A study of proposed deep-sea exploration drilling in the Great Australian Bight
Professor Tina Soliman Hunter, Professor of Petroleum Law and Director of Aberdeen University Centre for Energy Law, outlines the risks of Norwegian oil giant Equinor’s plans to drill for oil…
REPORT: Crude Intentions
Greenpeace Australia Pacific worked with US oil spill consultant and marine biologist, Professor Richard Steiner, the leading ecologist involved in the cleanup and monitoring of the Exxon Valdez disaster in…
REPORT: License to Krill
Are krill oil companies stealing food from the mouths of Antarctic penguins and whales?
REPORT: The double threat to the Great Barrier Reef
Climate change and the Australian Government
INVESTIGATION: Turn the Tide
Greenpeace’s 12-month long investigation exposes the activities of Thailand’s rogue overseas fishing fleets, the companies behind them and their supply chain connections to export markets including Australia, the US and Europe.
REPORT: Exporting climate change, killing the Reef
Australia, the world’s largest coal exporter, will export a billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in its coal this year, erasing the few benefits of meeting its weak Paris target and worsening its contribution to global climate change, Greenpeace Australia Pacific analysis shows.
REPORT: Dodgy Prawns
The hidden environmental and social cost of prawns in Australia
REPORT: Monster Boats – The scourge of the oceans
The destructive concentration of power and quotas in the EU fishing industry
More about our oceans
Great Barrier Reef
Antarctica
The Arctic
Keep informed
Together we are part of a growing, global movement determined to bring about the changes our planet desperately needs. Sign up to receive updates on our campaigns.
