oceans and seas cover over twothirds of the earths surface provide food and minerals generate oxygen absorb greenhouse gases and keep in check climate change determine weather patterns and temperatures and serve as highways for seaborne international trade healthy oceans and seas are thus essential to the quest for a more sustainable future for all and in particular for small island developing states sids and other coastal developing states oceans and seas are however facing significant environmental and economic risks that can affect all states such risks arise from climate change a rise in the sea level acidification of sea water overexploitation and poor management of marine resources and deposit of pollutants and fertilisers in the seas damaging the seabed and oil gas and mineral extraction