66% of Britons don’t know that the ocean is the biggest natural carbon store on Earth and could hold the little-known solution to fighting climate change
Following the global spotlight of UNOC 2025 and the release of David Attenborough’s latest film, the ocean has moved to the heart of climate conversations. The conference united world leaders and scientists around the urgent need to protect marine ecosystems, echoing Attenborough’s powerful reminder that “the most important place on Earth is not on land but at sea.”
But while awareness is rising, understanding still lags behind. From carbon sinks to blue carbon, millions of Brits are struggling to make sense of the environmental terms shaping the climate debate, according to new data.
In a study of 2,000 adults, commissioned by the Convex Seascape Survey, 66% of respondents didn’t know that the ocean is Earth’s biggest natural carbon sink - inaccurately believing forests and soil stored more carbon.
Half of respondents (49 per cent) admitted they find mastering environmental jargon as confusing as trying to understand a foreign language.
With more attention on climate change than ever before, it turns out that the average Briton’s “eco-IQ” is still far from stellar, especially when it comes to the emerging concept of blue carbon.
Two-in-five (43%) are unaware of what ‘blue carbon’ is, despite it being a crucial process that helps stabilise the planet’s climate by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in marine and coastal ecosystems like seabeds, mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows.
Confusion continues to prevail as almost half (49 per cent) are baffled by environmental terms such as ‘sequestration’ and ‘decarbonisation’. Some respondents (5%) mistakenly think a ‘carbon sink’ is in fact a kitchen sink made from charcoal.
So what’s going wrong with eco education?
Victoria Turner, Education Lead for the Blue Marine Foundation, has spent over 16 years making sustainability more accessible, and she’s got some handy tricks to help make sense of the madness.
She said: "Terms like ‘net zero’ and ‘carbon sequestration’ aren’t always easy to grasp, but building understanding around these terms is key to making informed, sustainable choices."
"One method I love is using analogies to explain more abstract concepts. For example, think of the ocean as the planet’s lungs, absorbing carbon and producing oxygen so effectively that 'every second breath we take comes from the ocean'. It helps put concepts like 'blue carbon' into a more comprehensible picture."
"Another important environmental term to understand is ‘carbon sink.’ Imagine a wash basin for carbon-drawing in and holding onto carbon. The ocean, forests, and soil all serve as powerful carbon sinks. They draw in carbon from the atmosphere, store it, and in doing so play a critical role in the fight against climate change."
"If we can describe the earth's carbon cycle as a closed system with a fixed amount of carbon, it's easier to understand why disturbing stored carbon in the oceans, and shifting it to the atmosphere, is going to upset the balance and accelerate climate change. It is a simple science that justifies the importance of protecting blue carbon stores.”
"The more we understand, the better choices we make. Sustainability isn’t about perfection - it’s about more people being able to make informed decisions and lifestyle changes that add up to a big impact.”
According to the Convex Seascape Survey data, one-in-four (26%) are unsure what the ‘Paris Climate Agreement’ is: a global pact designed to limit global warming to well below 2°C, with an ideal target of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
That is exactly what the Convex Seascape Survey is hoping to change. The ambitious five-year project brings together 100 scientists from around the world to study how carbon is stored beneath our ocean, and how we can protect and boost that storage to help fight climate change.
“We’ve known for a long time that forests are crucial for carbon capture, but our oceans — and particularly continental shelves — are often overlooked despite being far more extensive carbon stores. Understanding blue carbon is a crucial part of the puzzle for climate action,” explains Professor Callum Roberts, lead scientist on the Convex Seascape Survey.
The survey’s educational work is already going global. In partnership with Encounter Edu, over 14 million students across 90 countries have taken part in ocean literacy programmes - learning how oceans support life on Earth, and why they’re worth fighting for.
“You don’t need to be an expert to make a meaningful impact — whether it’s supporting ocean conservation, being mindful of plastic pollution, spreading the word, or just cutting down on your carbon footprint. Everyone can play a part,” says Rachel Delhaise, Head of Sustainability at Convex Insurance.
On the plus side, Brits seem eager to improve their eco-IQ, as two-in-five (42%) say they want to learn more about how they can help in the fight against climate change.