15th Environmental Dialogue: Our Oceans - Limits of Balance
Nora Gau
For a long time, the oceans were regarded as virtually inexhaustible. Today, climate change, acidification, deep-sea mining and the loss of marine biodiversity show that even the oceans’ resilience has its limits. How can conservation, utilisation and economic interests be reconciled? Experts from research and practice discussed this at the 15th edition of “Environmental Dialogue", organised by the Environment and Climate Research Hub (ECH) at the Natural History Museum Vienna.
Markus Korenjak
How many functions can we reasonably expect the oceans to fulfill at the same time? This question ran like a common thread through the 15th edition of Environmental Dialogue, hosted by the University of Vienna’s Environment and Climate Research Hub (ECH) at the Natural History Museum in Vienna. Scientists and experts discussed, before a large audience, how marine conservation, economic interests and geopolitical realities can be reconciled, and why this debate also affects a landlocked country such as Austria.
Three key takeaways from the evening
1. The oceans are far away from Austria, yet they affect us directly
Even in a landlocked country like Austria, life depends on the oceans. They regulate the climate, store vast amounts of heat and carbon dioxide, and influence weather and rainfall patterns worldwide. Their future is therefore not a matter for coastal states alone.
2. Marine conservation has long been a matter of geopolitics
The oceans are not only habitats but are increasingly the subject of economic and strategic interests. Whether it be fish stocks, shipping routes, marine genetic resources or deep-sea raw materials: the question of how global commons are used and protected is always also a question of power, responsibility and international cooperation.
3. The greatest challenge is not conservation or exploitation, but reconciling the two
The discussion made it clear that simplistic dichotomies fall short. The oceans are expected simultaneously to preserve biodiversity, provide food, stabilise the climate and enable economic development. The crucial task is to balance these demands within the ecological carrying capacity of the oceans.
The oceans – indispensable and vulnerable at the same time
When one thinks of the oceans, one thinks of vastness. Of something so immense that it defies human scale. And that is precisely where the problem lies.
‘Perhaps one of the most important insights of our time is that we have confused size with infinity, and infinity with inexhaustibility,’ stated Thilo Hofmann, co-director of the Environment and Climate Research Hub at the University of Vienna, at the start of the evening. For a long time, the oceans were considered to have virtually limitless resilience. Today, however, climate change, acidification, overfishing, raw material extraction and the loss of marine biodiversity show that even the oceans’ resilience has its limits.
Yet the oceans are far more than just a distant habitat. They regulate the climate, store heat and carbon dioxide, provide food for billions of people and are home to unique ecosystems. ‘Without the oceans, our planet would be a much hotter place,’ emphasised Hofmann. At the same time, the demands placed on the oceans are constantly growing: they are expected to stabilise the climate, protect biodiversity, safeguard fish stocks, facilitate trade routes and, in the future, also supply raw materials for the energy transition. ‘The real challenge, therefore, perhaps lies not in the protection or use of the oceans alone. But rather in the fact that we want both at the same time.’
Why marine conservation is a social issue
The fact that the oceans are of central importance not only ecologically but also politically and socially shaped the evening’s discussions. In her welcome address, Katrin Vohland, Director-General of the Natural History Museum Vienna, highlighted the enormous significance of marine ecosystems for life on Earth. Taking as her starting point the fascinating black smokers – deep-sea hydrothermal vents that release mineral-rich water from the Earth’s interior and create habitats for a impressive diversity of organisms – she traced a path from the origins of life at the bottom of the oceans to the challenges of marine conservation in an increasingly conflict-ridden world. Vohland’s message was that science, politics and society must remain in dialogue, particularly when it comes to global commons such as the oceans, in order to strengthen direction and the capacity to act.
Nikolaus Hautsch, Vice-Rector of the University of Vienna, also emphasised the importance of such an exchange. ‘The major challenges of our time transcend disciplinary boundaries; therefore, science must also transcend disciplinary boundaries in order to solve them,’ Hautsch stressed. This, in particular, is a key strength of the University of Vienna and the Environment and Climate Research Hub, which brings together researchers from different disciplines to tackle complex environmental and climate issues collaboratively. After all, marine conservation is not merely an ecological issue, but equally an economic, social and political one.
Between power and responsibility: Who owns the oceans?
It was precisely this perspective that formed the focus of the keynote address by Alice Vadrot, Professor of International Relations and the Environment at the University of Vienna. From a political science perspective, the question ‘How do we protect the oceans?’ is far more complex than it might initially appear. At its core, it is a fundamental question of distribution and power: ‘Who actually owns the oceans and the living and non-living resources within them?’
Technological progress is not only expanding our knowledge of previously unexplored deep-sea habitats. At the same time, interest in their economic exploitation is also growing: from deep-sea mining to the use of marine genetic resources – that is, the biological treasures contained in the genetic material of marine organisms – for the cosmetics industry, for example. The ‘freedom of the high seas’, which has shaped the world for centuries, therefore not only facilitates research and international exchange, but also ‘disproportionate enrichment at the expense of global common goods’, explained Vadrot.
She devoted particular attention to the UN High Seas Protection Agreement (BBNJ), which came into force at the start of 2026. The agreement is regarded as a milestone for the protection of marine biodiversity in international waters. It could help to ‘change the course we are on’ and ‘preserve the high seas for future generations’. At the same time, Vadrot also made it clear that marine conservation can never be viewed in isolation from power dynamics, economic interests and international conflicts.
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Between conservation and exploitation: the difficult search for balance
Just how difficult these trade-offs are in practice became apparent during the subsequent panel discussion, moderated by Ö1 science journalist Marlene Nowotny. Joining Alice Vadrot in the discussion were marine biologist Frank Melzner, WWF marine expert Axel Hein and marine geobiologist Annemiek Vink from the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), who discussed the future of the oceans.
It quickly became clear that many of these challenges are interlinked. The audience and experts were particularly in agreement on the question of the greatest threats to the oceans. In a live poll, ocean warming and acidification were cited as the most pressing problems. This came as no surprise to marine biologist Frank Melzner: ‘In my opinion, warming and ocean acidification are indeed the two biggest problems we face in the ocean.’ The consequences range from massive changes to marine ecosystems to the loss of unique habitats in the tropics, as well as in the Arctic and Antarctic. With regard to coral reefs, Melzner made it clear that technical solutions for reforestation alone will not be enough: ‘The only real solution is to reduce CO₂ emissions.’
The discussion on deep-sea mining proved more controversial. Whilst many participants in the live poll prioritised the protection of the deep sea, Annemiek Vink from the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) argued for a more nuanced approach. She suggested that the extraction of raw materials from the seabed could, under certain circumstances, reduce pressure on sensitive terrestrial ecosystems that have so far been severely impacted by mining. The impacts, she noted, are serious both ecologically and socially. For example, nickel mining in Indonesia is associated with massive destruction of rainforests and far-reaching consequences for local communities. At the same time, the international community faces a rare opportunity: ‘With this new industry, we have a unique chance to organise everything properly and develop sound regulatory frameworks before operations begin.’
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Alice Vadrot, on the other hand, highlighted existing transparency shortcomings and the need for political oversight. International rules are indispensable if economic interests are not to be given permanent priority over the protection of global commons.
Fisheries also illustrated the tension between exploitation and conservation. Axel Hein from WWF Austria made it clear that millions of people worldwide depend on fish as a source of food and a means of livelihood. Sustainable marine conservation can therefore only succeed if ecological and social aspects are considered together. ‘The challenge is not to put an end to the use of the seas, but to manage it within the ecological limits of the oceans,’ emphasised Hein.
By the end of the evening, there was no simple answer to the question of the ‘limits of balance’. Instead, it became all the more clear what the real challenge is: The oceans are simultaneously climate regulators, habitats, sources of raw materials, trade routes and a global commons. Their future does not hinge on a choice between protection and exploitation, but on how successfully we can reconcile the two.
Or, as Thilo Hofmann put it: the crucial question today is no longer whether the oceans are important, but ‘how many functions we can expect them to fulfill simultaneously’.
Further Links
- Alice Vadrot and Frank Melzner about their research on Oceans
- More about Alice Vadrots work on Ocean Data and Digital Ocean Twins
- Our article on Deep Sea Carbon - research by our member Gerhard Herndl
For the first time, visitors to the event had the opportunity to try out the new ECH game, which offers insight into interdisciplinary research. Players take on the roles of scientists from various disciplines and draw connections with other fields of research in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of complex topics. Here, too, the focus was on the oceans. You can learn more about the ECH game in our article on Climate Month in April.
Markus Korenjak
The ECH game
Graphic Recording
Kahtrin Gusenbauer
