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Synthetic biology tools can be used to develop novel sustainability solutions for global ocean health challenges. Tailored microbial consortia can be designed to target plastic waste for biodegradation and upcycling. Engineering and altering coral holobiont dynamics may enhance coral reef resilience in the face of climate-induced extinction. CRISPR-based nucleic acid sensors can enable the rapid and inexpensive identification of toxic HAB events. Ocean health is faltering, its capability for regeneration and renewal being eroded by a steady pulse of anthropomorphic impacts. Plastic waste has infiltrated all ocean biomes, climate change threatens coral reefs with extinction, and eutrophication has unleashed vast algal blooms. In the face of these challenges, synthetic biology approaches may hold untapped solutions to mitigate adverse effects, repair ecosystems, and put us on a path towards sustainable stewardship of our planet. Leveraging synthetic biology tools would enable innovative engineering approaches to augment the natural adaptive capacity of ocean biological systems to cope with the swiftness of human-induced change. Here, we present a framework for developing synthetic biology solutions for the challenges of plastic pollution, coral bleaching, and harmful algal blooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]