Fueling Oceanic Crisis: Global Expansion of Offshore Fossil Extraction Threatens Marine Ecosystems

“We’re going to drill, baby, drill, and do all of the things that we wanted to.”

President Donald Trump

With these cheeky words, Mr. Donald Trump cheered his supporters in his inauguration speech, setting a stark tone for his administration’s environmental agenda and demonstrating that the U.S. government led by him would no longer fight climate change.

Granting new powers to his administration to promote fossil fuel extraction, rather than supporting renewable energy, Mr. Trump, the world’s most powerful leader, dismissed the urgency of safeguarding nature and its ecosystems. Looking beyond the U.S., the global picture remains the same. At the recent UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, world leaders showed solidarity to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. Yet, the reality unfolds a different story. The ink was barely dry on Australia’s promise of ocean-centered climate action when the same government quietly approved the extension of the North West Shelf gas project, one of the country’s largest fossil fuel facilities. This greenlit further gas extraction and carbon pollution near Scott Reef, a globally significant coral ecosystem. The ripples from these decisions endanger not only whales and coral reefs but also many who depend on the ocean. According to the Earth Insight report, more than 2.7 million square kilometers of ocean territory in the last year were opened for fossil fuel exploration, much of it overlapping coral reefs, mangroves, and sanctuaries that world leaders had promised to protect by 2030. Our oceans, rivers, and aquatic ecosystems fall victim to unprecedented peril as fossil fuel extraction intensifies across the world.

The Oceanic Crisis Unfolding

Covering 70% of the Earth’s surface, the oceans are home to thousands of marine species, from microscopic algae to the biggest creature on Earth, the blue whale. They play a crucial role as carbon sinks and generate roughly half of the Earth’s oxygen. Today, however, the oceans, the lungs of the Earth, face profound environmental crises due to the impact of climate change, biodiversity loss, and toxic pollution by mankind. Fossil fuels: coal, oil, and gas are also the main drivers of global climate change, responsible for over 75% of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90% of carbon dioxide emissions. Adding to this, the pursuit of these fuels is driving catastrophic climate impacts and inflicting damage to the marine ecosystem. Meanwhile, fossil fuel companies are chasing all the accessible reserves beneath our oceans by pushing deeper into marine frontiers. (Here, ‘‘frontiers” indicates the underexplored regions with significant potential for oil, gas, or Liquid natural Gas development.) Activities related to offshore fossil fuel extraction, such as drilling, oil and gas extraction, and the potential risk of oil spills, pose significant threats to the entire aquatic ecosystem.

Jeopardized the Ocean & Disrupt Marine Ecosystems?

According to the report published in Earth InSight, across the frontier regions, 9% of coastal and marine protected areas are at risk. In addition to this important a large portion of key biodiversity areas are overlapping with oil and gas blocks. Approximately 21,000 square kilometers of coral reefs, 7,900 square kilometers of underwater seagrass meadows, and 2,000 square kilometers of mangroves are directly threatened by offshore fuel extraction. (Ocean Frontiers at Risk: Fossil Fuel Expansion Threats to Biodiversity Hotspots and Climate Stability,2025) These areas are crucial for the conservation of marine mammals and ecosystems that provide habitat for feeding, breeding, and migration activities.

Data tells a stark story. The offshore fuel extraction is rapidly expanding, and as of early 2025, almost 29% of worldwide oil and gas is being extracted from offshore. Last year, offshore wells comprising 85% of new oil and gas discoveries, indicating a push into deeper marine exploration. From exploration to export, every stage of offshore fossil fuel extraction threatens marine biodiversity. This continuous expansion is a threat to the ocean beneath the surface, which is globally less highlighted. Moreover, this overwhelming expansion undermines not only the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment recognized by the United Nations but also overlooks the SDG 14 goal of life below water.

Microbial and Fungal Ocean Biomes: Crucial but Overlooked

Microbial and fungal are the integral parts of ocean health, along with the megafauna and corals. But the condition of microbial and fungal biomes is often overlooked. Microbial and fungal biomes are responsible for regulating nutrient cycling, carbon fixation, and oxygen production. These organisms interact with phytoplankton, the oxygen factories of the ocean, which act as both the biological carbon pump and the producers of a significant portion of Earth's oxygen. A shift in ocean microbial balance can lead to oxygen-depleted “dead zones,” where most marine life cannot survive. This poses a direct threat to global fisheries and contributes to the collapse of ecosystem services that regulate the climate.

The Silent Violence beneath the Waves

When Sound Becomes a Weapon

Beneath the waves, a world of sound resonates across the ocean, where whales' songs travel hundreds of miles, and fish communicate through subtle vibrations. From hunting to navigating, mating, or avoiding predators, marine species depend on sound for their survival. Imagine a sudden explosion! Now, imagine that noise repeating every 10 to 15 seconds, 24 hours a day, for weeks or even months. This is the horrifying reality for nearly all marine species within range of offshore seismic surveys.

Intense, impulsive technology is used for oil and gas exploration to find sources of gas and oil hidden deep beneath the surface. To map a prospective area, between one and four dozen compressed air guns are towed behind a ship, generating sharp, explosively loud noise pulses of up to 260 decibels. These sound waves penetrate tens of kilometers under the bottom and travel hundreds or even thousands of meters through the ocean. New oil and gas resources can be inferred from the reverberating echoes. This noise pollution is lethally dangerous for any marine life caught between the air guns and the seabed, with the noise impact displacing or killing marine animals across hundreds of thousands of square kilometres. Studies show devastating consequences across more than 880,000 square kilometers of ocean, revealing an 88% decrease in baleen whale sightings during active seismic surveys. Some species stop singing altogether, while others flee their traditional feeding grounds, with migration times potentially increasing by 20%.

Extraction Brings Toxic Chemicals to Ocean

As we already know how noise can assault marine life, the extraction brings chemicals to the ocean. Recently, researchers from Sky Truth published a report identifying the largest sources of pollution from offshore oil, transportation emissions. Monitoring satellite images, researchers found that Nigeria has the most polluting fixed oil production infrastructure and floating production and storage vessels (FxOs), where oil slicks in all images, suggesting that it may release oil every five days on average.

Furthermore, analyzing satellite data, researchers revealed that in 2023, offshore oil and gas facilities burned roughly 23 billion cubic meters (812 billion cubic feet) of natural gas, mostly unwanted methane released during oil and gas production. Methane flaring created approximately 60 million metric tons of carbon dioxide; the largest sources were linked to infrastructure in Iran, Nigeria, and Mexico.

Frontlines of Destruction: Where Extraction Meets Ecosystem

The Caribbean: Paradise under Siege

In Barbados, surrounded by the crystal-clear waters where tourists once snorkeled among vibrant coral reefs, a different kind of invasion is underway. According to environmentalists, the start of Intensive oil exploration threatens mangroves and coral reefs, as well as 22 species of marine mammals, including three species of sperm whales. We can see the story of Barbados is being replicated across the Caribbean. In Suriname, planned extraction areas overlap with 93% of mangrove forests and 76% of coastal protected areas.

Brazil's Amazon Estuary: Where Rivers Meet Ruin

The Amazon River represents Earth's most unique ecosystems, which connect to the Atlantic Ocean. Where nutrients from the rainforest create underwater gardens that support an extraordinary web of life. However, the Brazilian government has approved oil and gas blocks that overlap with 15% of protected coral reefs and nearly 4,000 square kilometers of the Amazon estuary. Bearing the scars of the massive 2019 oil spill on the northeastern coast of Brazil, which affected 440,000 fishermen in the region. Despite the source of that spill remains disputed, the impacts are visible on the contaminated beaches across three provinces, and fish with petroleum traces in their gills.

How Human & Offshore Communities Caught in the Crossfire

Voices from the Gulf Coast

April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon spill changed everything in the Gulf of America. The largest marine oil spill in U.S. history killed 11 workers and caused 4 million barrels of oil to flow from the damaged Macondo well over 87 days, before it was finally capped on July 15, 2010. Research confirms that cleanup workers seven years after Deepwater Horizon found persistent health problems, including liver dysfunction and cardiovascular issues. This spill caused environmental damage to the marine species and contaminated over 1300 miles of shoreline, as well as severe economic impacts on the fishing and tourism industries.

Thailand's Biggest Oil Spill: A Maritime Disaster of 2022

According to Greenpeace, over the last three decades, there have been at least 200 oil spills in Thailand. But the oil spill incident on January 25, 2022 labeled as the “biggest in Thai history”. Approximately 47,000 liters of crude oil leaked from an underwater pipeline operated by Star Petroleum Refining Company (SPRC), an American-Thai enterprise, located about 20 kilometers off the coast near Map Ta Phut in Rayong province. The 2022 oil spill resulted in swept away the tourists from the once busy beaches, wiping out the income of fishermen and restaurants. This exposed the critical flaws of the fossil fuel industry, including outdated infrastructure and inadequate safety practices, which not only affected offshore communities but also raised urgent questions regarding the protection of biodiversity and livelihoods along the Gulf of Thailand.

The Climate Connection: Ocean Acidification and the Carbon Trap

The extraction of fossil fuels from the ocean not only pollutes the ocean but also changes ocean chemistry by altering the amount of acid in the ocean. The carbon dioxide emissions from extracted fuels are fundamentally responsible for increasing acidification, which is known as the "evil twin" of climate change. Ocean pH has decreased by 0.1 units since the Industrial Revolution, which means a 30 percent increase in acidity. This small change in the pH level affects marine life, particularly those organisms that build shells and skeletons from calcium carbonate. Since 1880, the eighty-eight largest fossil fuel companies are accountable for 55 percent of detected ocean acidification.

Dr. Scott Doney, a marine chemistry expert at the University of Virginia, explains: "Due to Ocean acidification, many marine organisms face difficulty constructing their shells and skeletons. In an acidic ocean, from the lowest strata of the marine food chain, including plankton, algae, shellfish, and coral, may struggle to grow and survive."

The impact of rising acidification is already noticeable in key fishing areas, like California. At present, in California, due to increasing acidification, 43,000 jobs dependent on fisheries are under threat along the U.S. West Coast. The Gulf of Alaska has a challenge with warm water, and due to this, 53,000 jobs in the region have already been affected. The Coral Triangle, which hosts three-quarters of the world's reef-building corals, supports 4.3 million jobs now at risk from increasing acidification.

International Laws: Promises and Pitfalls

Although many laws and agreements aim to limit fossil-fuel pollution, gaps still exist, and enforcement remains weak. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) governs the marine resources and defines the rights and responsibilities of the states to use the ocean across territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, and international waters. A total of 169 sovereign states are the parties to this convention, and UNCLOS is considered a comprehensive protection for marine environments.

Article 192 of UNCLOS puts the states under a general obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment. Moreover, Article 194 requires states to take all measures that are necessary to prevent, reduce, and control pollution of the marine environment from any source. It is ironic that these articles are termed as mere obligations, given that they often conflict with Article 193, which has already ensured the sovereign right of states to exploit their natural resources pursuant to their environmental policies. But recent developments offer some hope.

United Nations adopted the remarkable treaty titled Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ agreement) under UN Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) in June 2023.the objective of the treaty is to establish a new apparatuses to protect areas in international waters and assess impact of activities that might harm the ecosystems. But the effectiveness of the treaty depend on the implementation and enforcements. Besides, several sector wise conventions exists such the MARPOL treaty and London Convention. The MARPOL treaty is strictly limits oil discharge from ships, and the London Convention bans the dumping of wastes at sea. Regional pacts like the Helsinki Conventions or OSPAR target marine pollution in European waters. Many governments supplement these with national laws. In the U.S., the Clean Water Act prohibits any “discharge of any pollutant” into navigable waters without a permit, and similar statutes exist in the EU (Water Framework Directive), China, Australia, and elsewhere.

Notable Regional Initiatives

The Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance

Launched at COP26 in 2021, initiated by the governments of Costa Rica and Denmark, the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA) aims to elevate the phase-out of fossil fuel production. Seeking to mobilize action and commitments from its members, who agree to end licensing new oil and gas fields and set deadlines for existing production, consistent with limiting global warming to 1.5°C under the Paris Agreement. However, their influence remains limited by the voluntary nature of international agreements and the economic interests of major oil-producing nations.

Navigating UN & Global Leaders' Commitments

In the 3rd UN Ocean Conference, notable omission of addressing the risk of fossil fuels

On 9^th of June, 2025, French President Emmanuel Macron kicked off the 3^rd United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France. Aimed to accelerate global action on protecting ocean health under Sustainable Development Goal 14; however, UNOC3 underscored the emerging threats from fossil fuel extraction and pollution. This approach by the global leaders showcased that the effects of fossil fuel extraction on marine biodiversity and coastal communities continue to be overlooked. That could be a golden opportunity for the world leaders to take meaningful action to phase out fossil extraction from the ocean. Observers opined that more concrete binding measures are needed to truly stop the further expansion of fossil fuel extraction which tolls on aquatic life and ocean health.

Commenting on the UN Ocean Conference, Bruna Campos, Senior Campaigner on Offshore Oil and Gas, at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) said,

“Fossil fuels are the main cause of greenhouse gas emissions, and greenhouse gas emissions are considered marine pollutants under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. This critical connection should have been central to the Ocean Conference, but it was ignored. Pacific Small Island Developing States were among the few nations that spoke clearly about the urgent need to phase out fossil fuels. This is a matter of life or death for them, like for many other communities vulnerable to climate change. Ignoring the imperative of phasing out offshore oil and gas is not just an injustice: it is inadmissible.”

From Policy to Pollution: How U.S. Drilling Ignites a New Ocean Crisis

Two factors contribute to the U.S. president's push for fossil extraction: first, oil and gas companies donated more than $75m to Trump’s election campaign, and second, Trump’s view implies that oil and gas symbolize power and strength.

Declaring “a national energy emergency” at the inauguration ceremony, President Trump boosted the already booming fossil fuel industry. Today, the Trump administration’s policy for offshore extraction has become a matter of concern, as it outraged climate advocates and threatened the life of the ocean. Trump’s Project 2025 is a new five-year offshore oil and gas leasing program, opening every coast of the continental U.S., in addition to federal waters offshore Alaska, including the Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf of Mexico, for potential drilling. Without recognizing the rights of the ocean, overlooking the consequences of extraction on nature, Trump’s administration is undermining the effects of climate change. Despite the U.S. producing more oil and gas than any other country, Trump’s administration relies on fossil fuels to ensure global dominance. 

Recognizing the Rights of Ocean, Realizing the Risks of Extraction

The Ocean is not a resource to exploit, but a living entity, which is the home of millions of aquatic animals and plants. Numerous initiatives have been taken over the decades to acknowledge the ocean’s right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. For instance, the European Ocean Pact aims to unify policies around ocean protection, while the BBNJ Agreement (the High Seas Treaty) is poised to create legally binding marine protected areas beyond national jurisdictions, aiming for at least 30% ocean protection by 2030. However, in reality, we see that no state has ever claimed the protection and preservation of the ocean and its ecosystems. Only, the state parties come to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea whenever disputes related to the territorial rights arise.

We know the butterfly story, right? It says that something tiny, as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing in a corner of the globe, can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world. Here, as Trump’s promise of drilling every corner of the Gulf of America and further eyeing the possible leasing in the Arctic Ocean, it might seem harmless to us. But in reality, like the single flutter of a butterfly, the intensified drilling project of the U.S. Government would ruin not only the oceans but also the overall aquatic ecosystems. Given that the U.S. is not a state party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, other countries do not have the right to claim or file a petition on behalf of the ocean against U.S. According to a report published by Earth Insight, a data analytics company that tracks fossil fuel and mining activities around the globe, found that the gas and oil blocks cover an area the size of Argentina in 11 offshore frontier regions. 

Despite the numerous legal loopholes and challenges to enforcing the legal obligation to protect the ocean from extraction. The new emerging treaty is now in the limelight, named “The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty”. Through a clear three-pillar mechanism, this treaty tries addresses fossil fuel extraction; such as, it calls for an immediate halt to new fossil fuel exploration and expansion, the managed and equitable phase-out of existing fossil fuel production aligned with the Paris Agreement goals, and the support of a just transition ensuring no worker, community, or country is left behind. The Treaty promotes international cooperation by creating binding global governance, transparency via a comprehensive Global Registry of Fossil Fuels, and pathways to accelerate renewable energy adoption, thus providing a legally grounded, multilateral framework to manage and ultimately end fossil fuel extraction worldwide.

Today, a new oceanic crisis has emerged as Trump’s administration focuses on offshore extraction of fossil results in fueling a crisis around the aquatic ecosystems. In the UN Ocean Conference, in his kick-off speech, French President Macron didn’t address the impact of offshore extraction, which ignited concern among environmental activists. The toll of fossil fuel extraction is vast, from the microbes that generate our oxygen to the whales. The existing gaps in the global legal protection, along with a lack of awareness regarding the consequences of offshore oil and gas extraction, would destroy our aquatic ecosystems. Without recognizing the ocean’s rights by the states, especially the global leaders like the U.S., France, and others, we will never be able to protect and preserve our ocean. Hope the world leaders do not let the ocean die while drilling to get energy.