Immanuel Kant considered this question to be central to the human experience. Answering it today, we can identify four fundamental reasons for optimism.

The first is science, which has finally abandoned the rigid classification of living organisms into ‘useful’ and ‘useless’ – a relic of centuries of utilitarian thinking. Rather than seeking to conquer nature, we are now learning from it.

The second reason is technology, which increasingly enables us to cooperate with the ocean and its resources rather than merely exploit them. Modern technologies are shifting away from being adversaries of nature, transforming instead into its very extension.

The third reason is the law. The World Ocean is recognized as our common heritage, not a battlefield for resource acquisition. International legal frameworks have already demonstrated their profound efficacy.

Finally, there is our capacity to perceive beauty. Our aesthetic sensibility serves as our conscience. As long as we can stand captivated before a branch of coral or the dance of a jellyfish, as long as we are moved by the play of light within the water column, we will not allow this world to disappear.

This means that for all life on our planet, there is hope!