How is the World Ocean Council different from existing organizations and efforts?
The WOC creates an unprecedented process for bringing together the diverse global ocean business community and catalyzing inter-industry leadership and collaboration on ocean sustainability and stewardship at a global scale. The seas know no boundaries and a truly global approach is needed. The business coalitions that are developing cross-sectoral leadership on addressing impacts to the atmospheric “commons” provide a good analogy for the need and opportunity for a similar approach to the global ocean “commons”. The trade associations that bring together ocean industry companies do so along sectoral lines, e.g. shipping, oil and gas, fisheries. Some of these associations deal with sustainability in part, but do so in isolation from other ocean users. There are other organizations that work on corporate social responsibility and business/environment issues, but they do not address the unique needs of the transboundary marine environment and the businesses operating in the global ocean.
