The Ocean

Published February 2025

Author: Sturla Henriksen

'A very impressive piece of work that should be read by anyone who cares what happens next on our planet' Dr George McGavin

The ocean is where the crises of our time meet the opportunities of the future. It represents one of our most important concerns - and greatest hope.

It is only by a holistic approach, understanding the connections and the whole, over time and across issues, that we can truly comprehend the ocean's significance for our history, the present day and the future. This defines the focus and ambition of the book. It is a book about the ocean as a condition, a cause of and a force of civilisation, about how it has formed our world and will shape our destiny.

Adding a personal flavour to the discussion, Sturla Henriksen blends the top-down perspective of his professional maritime career, the bottom-up view of a passionate scuba diver, and his reflections as a concerned citizen and father.

'A thought provoking, well written and deeply considered book which goes to the heart of our oceans, blue economy and climate change. A must-read' Guy Platten, Secretary General, International Chamber of Shipping

'This book is a masterful review of the environmental, geopolitical and economic forces shaped by the world's oceans' Elana Wilson Rowe, Research Professor, Norwegian Institute of International Affairs

'Gradually but systematically, individual stories coalesce to a grand vision, not only about the ocean, but also about us, humans - our destiny, moral, and future' Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, 2015-2024

'If you have ever wondered, 'Why is the Ocean...' from scientific, historical, geopolitical, societal, legal, economic, and cultural perspectives, this is the book you want to read' Hiroko Muraki Gottlieb, Head of Delegation to the High Seas Treaty negotiations, International Council of Environmental Law, and Associate, Harvard University

'The ocean connects us, it feeds us and it promises both opportunities and risks. Read, reflect and digest these perspectives in Sturla Henriksen's great book' General Eirik Kristoffersen, Chief of Defense, Norway

'There could be no better guide for this journey than Sturla Henriksen' Lise Kingo, CEO and Executive Director of United Nations Global Compact, 2015-2020

About the Author: Sturla Henriksen is Special Advisor, Ocean, to the UN Global Compact, and co-chair of the Ocean Group under the G20 presidencies of Brazil and South Africa. He has formerly served as CEO of the Norwegian Shipowners' Association, Senior Executive at Accenture, and Director of Astrup Fearnley Asset Management, and held positions in the EU Commission Services, the European Free Trade Association and the Norwegian Ministry of Finance. He has been on the board of the International Chamber of Shipping, the European Community Shipowners's Association, and the Norwegian Institute of Foreign Affairs, and been deputy chair of the Council of Det norske Veritas. He has been a member of the World Economic Forum's Arctic Expert Panel, and the China Council Task Force on Green Maritime Operations, an advisory body to the Chinese government. He has for many years been a licensed scuba-diver instructor, adding a practical bottom-up perspective to the top-down reflections from his extensive career as a maritime executive.