26 January: A panel on Oceans held at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, was moderated by John Micklethwait, Editor-in-Chief of The Economist, addressed pressing challenges facing oceans in light of more than 1.5 billion people counting on fish for their daily protein source.

The panelists, who included Koji Sekimizu, Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank Group warned of the problems facing oceans nowadays, including overfishing, dead ocean zones, dying coral reefs, and huge masses of garbage littered across the ocean floor. Climate change also poses a serious threat, while pollution is pervasive. Panelists highlighted that restaurants and consumers play a major role in fisheries, and while consumers may not necessarily be willing to pay more for sustainable products, they can be convinced to reject unethical ones. They also noted the need to scale up aquaculture, as well as good governance in the oceans. [WEF Session Summary]