Quotes on the future of our ocean from Queen Noor of Jordan, Marc Benioff and more

On Monday, the first day of the World Economic Forum's Virtual Ocean Dialogues ended with a session looking at how we can take action for a healthy, resilient, thriving ocean – Setting the Stage for Ocean Action.

As José María Figueres explained right at the start of the session, the meeting is bringing together leaders from around the world to share knowledge, while scaling innovations and solutions to accelerate benefits to the ocean.

If you missed it, here are some of the most insightful quotes.

"Ocean health is a moral imperative, a business imperative and a matter of global and national security. It should be recognized as a vital building block of peace and prosperity."

H.M. Queen Noor of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

"The ocean knows no borders – you don’t have to use your passport – so we need to work along the lines of the natural marine ecosystems. Neighbouring countries must work together."

Isabella Lövin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Environment and Climate of Sweden

"We have a responsibility to maintain the momentum on ocean action, and where required, to meet the targets met by international agreement."

Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean

"The ocean and nature can live without us, but humanity can’t live without nature."

Gloria Fluxà Thienemann, Vice-Chairman and Chief Sustainability Officer, Iberostar Group

"We must address the climate crisis, if we're going to address the ocean. The number one issue with the ocean is acidification and the number one issue with acidification is carbon. Number one, and first and foremost, we must all become net-zero. Every company, every country, every organization, every individual must commit now to becoming net-zero."

Marc Benioff, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Salesforce

"We have failed, I think, to effectively communicate the overwhelming benefit-cost value of nature-based solutions. While degradation of nature contributes to instability and insecurity, we should recognize that nature is an ally on the road to peace."

H.M. Queen Noor of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

"We already have the objectives and the roadmap that we need to follow. It's called Agenda 2030. We need to stick to that, because nothing fundamentally has changed due to the coronavirus crisis."

Isabella Lövin, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Environment and Climate of Sweden

"We all know that governments and corporations are facing very difficult decisions at this time of planning and managing the economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. But, we must face the fact that prolonged global economic slowdown runs an associated risk of reduced commitment to climate action. Such reduction cannot be allowed to happen."

Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean

"The reality is that we're all deeply connected. Not only to each other, but to the ocean and the planet as well."

Marc Benioff, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, Salesforce

"Tourism is at a forking path. It can either come back [from the coronavirus pandemic] as it was before, with the same level of impact. Or, choose a more sustainable option. Bringing a sustainability voice, integrating ocean management as part of a business strategy."

Gloria Fluxà Thienemann, Vice-Chairman and Chief Sustainability Officer, Iberostar Group