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The ocean covers more than two-thirds of our planet’s surface and occupies a vast three-dimensional volume, much of which is still unexplored. It is rich in resources and provides us with food, energy, and minerals. We use the ocean to transport goods between continents. The ocean is also crucial for the stability of our climate and the weather.|Without the ocean and its resources, the wealth and well-being enjoyed by some of the world’s population would not exist. The future of this unique ecosystem faces a grave threat today. The principle of the freedom of the seas, which has held for hundreds of years and grants everyone unlimited access to the ocean and its resources, has led to overfishing, the loss of biodiversity, and ocean pollution.