The ocean : life and livelihoods. World Oceans Day is observed every year on June 8 to remind every one of the major role the oceans have in everyday life.
Did you know that 71% of the Earth is water? And of that 71 percent, 96.5 percent of it is entirely made up of the ocean, inhabited by diverse organisms. Its prominence and significance in our planet may be rather high, but very rarely do we stop to think about it in our daily lives. Not to mention, years of human evolution have instead polluted and corrupted our great blue in a pursuit to advancements. Why don’t we change that a bit?
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
For centuries, the ocean provides us all with vital resources to support life and livelihoods but if unsustainable fishing practices and deterioration of coastal and marine ecosystems continue, by 2050 there will be no usable fish stocks in this region.
June 8th is recognised as World Ocean Day as established by the UN, a time where we focus our attention into the preservation and betterment of our ocean. Multiple events aim on shedding light on the beauty and wonder of the ocean as our life-source; how it has been supporting the growth and development on every one of Earth’s population.
VIRTUAL EXHIBITION
Discover innovative solutions for the sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources in a new virtual exhibit.
VIRTUAL CELEBRATION
Being a virtual celebration, this can easily enable you to take part in it in any way you can. The UNEP have a page on their website dedicated to their event, online celebration planned to commemorate World Ocean Day 2021 in partnership with Oceanic Global. During that event, leaders, organisations, communities and celebrities will share their thoughts on the importance our ocean holds.
You can also visit WorldOceanDay.org to learn more about the event, find similar events and learn about this year’s action focus, a petition that aims to support and improve the global movement to protect at least 30% of our land and ocean by 2030 (30X30). A petition can also be found on their site to show your support on this goal. They also have a Youth Initiative page that consists of links that young activists can choose from to start their journey.
CORAL REEF : ON THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION
Coral is a key marine ecosystem and an important ally in mitigating the effects of the climate crisis. Besides, they also help to protect coastlines and provide habitats and shelter for other marine organisms.
However, in the last three decades alone, we have lost more than half of the world’s corals, including large swaths of the iconic Great Barrier Reef. Scientists estimate that if the threats to reefs are not confronted, 90 percent of coral reefs could be gone within our lifetimes.
The world’s oceans are heating up 40 percent faster than was once predicted, leading to mass coral bleaching. Meanwhile, oceans are becoming more acidic, reducing corals’ ability to grow and build their skeletons. These climate-related impacts are compounded by human activities such as unsustainable fishing and tourism, dredging, and pollution.
We have already lost 50 percent of the world’s coral reefs, but we still have 50 percent left. The next 10 years offer a critical window of opportunity to improve the health of our corals, and by doing so increase the safety of our shores and secure the livelihoods of coastal communities around the world. Together we can help ensure that coral reefs not only survive today’s threats but thrive for the benefit of generations to come.
