Possible UPSC Questions
Prelims
- In which year did the UN formally designate World Oceans Day?
- SDG-14 chiefly focuses on which domain of sustainable development?
- Coral bleaching is primarily triggered by (a) rising sea-surface temperature (b) excess nutrients (c) coastal erosion (d) oil spills.
Mains (GS-III/Environment & GS-II/IR)
- “Ocean stewardship is integral to India’s maritime-power aspirations and coastal security.” Examine.
- Evaluate the effectiveness of SAGAR, Maritime India Vision 2030 and the proposed National Coastal Mission in achieving SDG-14 targets.
Quick Outline of Key Facts
- UN Alarm: 3rd UN Ocean Conference (Nice, 9-13 June 2025) convened as oceans declared a global emergency.
- Major Stressors: rapid warming +30 % acidity vs. pre-industrial, de-oxygenation, plastic loads, shipping disasters (e.g., MSC ELSA-3 off Kochi), over-fishing, stronger cyclones.
- Indian Stakes: fastest-warming Indian Ocean; 11,098 km coast; ~30 % population and 4 % GDP tied to blue economy; sardine catch –75 % in Kerala.
- Policy Toolkit: SAGAR, Maritime India Vision 2030, draft Blue-Economy Policy, proposed National Coastal Mission, SDG-14 alignment.
Summary
World Oceans Day 2025 unfolds against grim headlines: the Liberian cargo ship MSC ELSA-3 sinks off Kerala, spilling hazardous material into one of India’s richest marine habitats and forcing the State to declare a disaster. The accident dramatises what the UN now labels a planetary emergency. Oceans, spanning more than 70 percent of Earth and absorbing nearly a quarter of anthropogenic CO₂, are warming so fast that acidity has risen by a third since the Industrial Revolution. Between January 2023 and March 2025, eighty-four percent of the world’s coral reefs experienced bleaching-level heat stress, eroding biodiversity and fisheries.
India feels the heat first-hand. The Indian Ocean is the fastest-warming basin; phytoplankton densities in its western reaches have fallen 20 percent since the 1950s, while Kerala’s oil-sardine catch collapsed 75 percent in one season. Sea-level rise threatens megacities like Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata with floods, salinity intrusion and infrastructure loss. Simultaneously, China’s evolving “String of Pearls” port network challenges New Delhi’s maritime influence, underscoring that ecological security and strategic security are entwined.
Recognising this, India layers green goals onto blue-water strategy. SAGAR pledges “Security and Growth for All in the Region”; Maritime India Vision 2030 aims for cleaner, smarter ports; the forthcoming Blue-Economy Policy seeks renewable ocean energy, biotech and tourism within a largely untapped 200-nautical-mile EEZ; and a National Coastal Mission is proposed to climate-proof mangroves, corals and coastal livelihoods. Still, the Nice conference warns that no single nation can succeed alone; global cooperation to curb emissions, plastics and unsafe shipping is essential to keep the seas— and India’s maritime rise—afloat.
