World Oceans Day takes place every June 8. It has been
celebrated unofficially since its original proposal in 1992 by Canada's
International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) and the Ocean
Institute of Canada (OIC) at the Earth Summit - UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Brundtland Commission, i.e. the World Commission on Environment and
Development, provided the inspiration for a global oceans day. The 1987
Brundtland Report noted that the ocean sector lacked a strong voice
compared to other sectors. At the first world Oceans Day in 1992, the
objectives were to move the oceans from the sidelines to the centre of
the intergovernmental and NGO discussions and policy and to strengthen
the voice of ocean and coastal constituencies world wide.
World Oceans Day was officially recognized by the United Nations in late 2008. The Ocean Project, working in partnership with the World Ocean Network,
Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and many other partners in its
network of 2,000 organizations, has been promoting World Oceans Day
since 2002 and led a three-year global petition movement to secure
official UN recognition. World Oceans Day events are celebrated on June
8, the closest weekend, the week, and the month of June. The day is
marked in a variety of ways, including launching new campaigns and
initiatives, special events at aquariums and zoos, outdoor explorations,
aquatic and beach cleanups, educational and conservation action
programs, art contests, film festivals, and sustainable seafood events.
Youth have been playing an increasingly important role since 2015,
including the development in 2016 of a World Oceans Day Youth Advisory
Council.
The 2017 World Oceans Day will coincide with the The United Nations Ocean Conference.
From feeding humans to regulating the climate, water and carbon
cycles; housing more than 230,000 known species of marine life, and producing the very air we breathe, oceans are, without question, essential for life on Earth.
But they are under more threat than ever. Fish are being caught for
food faster than their populations can regenerate; seas are growing more
acidic due to rising concentrations of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere; and humans toss so much plastic waste into the ocean that
the Ellen MacArthur Foundation predicts that by 2050, there could be more plastic than fish in the sea by weight.
Despite these threats, oceans are some of the most poorly protected ecosystems on earth. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimates
that only 3.4 per cent of oceans are protected; fishing, tourism, and
other commercial activities carry on with few checks globally.
In a bid to raise public awareness and encourage ocean protection
efforts, the global community, led by the United Nations, has observed World Oceans Day every June 8 since 1992.
This year’s World Oceans Day theme is “Our oceans, our future”, and focuses on
preventing plastic pollution. In line with the message that we all
have a role to play in protecting the ocean for generations to
come, here are six sea-saving actions that everyone can take today.
1. Keep the oceans clean
Plastic is the worst offender when it comes to marine litter, with scientists estimating that about eight million metric tonnes of plastic waste
enter oceans annually. In addition to trash like plastic bags, straws,
and takeaway containers, ‘microplastics’—bits of plastic that are less
than five millimetres long and usually found in products such as
toothpaste and exfoliating scrubs—also end up in the sea, where they are
ingested by marine animals.
The steps needed to address this are all too easy: Swap plastic bags
and disposable containers for reusable alternatives such as cotton
totes, reusable coffee cups, and sturdy food containers; stop using
products with microbeads; and never, ever, litter.
Individuals, community groups, and companies can also go beyond small
lifestyle changes by forming groups to collect trash from beaches. As
the before-and-after images
of the world’s largest clean-up at a beach in Mumbai, India show, small
contributions of time and effort can add up to a big impact.
2. Choose responsible seafood
The ocean’s seafood resources are being depleted faster than they can
regenerate. WWF, for instance, classifies 85 per cent of the world’s
fisheries as “exploited, overexploited, depleted, or recovering from
depletion”.
Fishing methods such as using dynamite or cyanide to kill fish, or
dragging tire-reinforced industrial trawling nets indiscriminately
across the ocean floor also causes ecological destruction beyond
shrinking fish populations.
Marine Stewardship Council logo. Image: Marine Stewardship Council
One way to avoid supporting such practices is to look for the Marine
Stewardship Council logo on supermarket shelves; the industry
association certifies seafood that is harvested using environmentally
responsible practices, and bans cyanide or dynamite fishing.
One fish species whose consumption has long been controversial is
tuna; the fish is often caught by dropping nets resembling giant
drawstring bags into the ocean, using gadgets known as fish aggregation
devices to attract fish into the nets, and then quickly closing them.
This method, known as ‘purse seine’ fishing, is associated with
problems including the unintentional death of immature fish, other fish
species, and even dolphins.
The world’s largest producer of tuna, Thai Union, knows the
challenges of sustainable tuna sourcing all too well. The company in 2015
found itself in the crosshairs of Greenpeace, which accused Thai Union
of labour rights abuses on board its fishing vessels, and unsustainable
fishing practices.
The company has spent the past few years implementing various measures to improve its sustainability.
Darian McBain, Thai Union’s global director of sustainable
development, shares that the company’s efforts include a pledge to
source all tuna from fisheries that are either MSC-certified or engaged
in projects to help them obtain the certification; ensuring supply chain
traceability so that customers can scan bar codes on supermarket
products to see where the fish was caught; and providing all its
fishermen with satellite communication technology to help them keep in
touch with their communities while at sea.
“If you have traceable seafood, you can understand other
characteristics such as whether the fish is legally caught,” says
McBain, adding that customers can do their part to consume sustainable
seafood by choosing responsibly sourced seafood, avoiding endangered
fish such as Bluefin tuna, and encouraging retailers and restaurants to
switch to sustainable seafood.
“We all need to be working towards the same outcome,” says McBain.
3. Reduce your energy use
As oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, they become more
acidic. This phenomenon, known as ocean acidification, threatens marine
ecosystems because it reduces concentrations of calcium carbonate, an
essential mineral for shellfish, crustaceans, and corals to make their
skeletons or shells.
Not only does this destroy the balance of oceanic ecosystems, but
shellfish and other marine animals are an essential source of food and
livelihoods for billions.
The United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that ocean acidity has increased by 30 per cent since
the industrial revolution. To help slow this down, everyone can reduce
their carbon footprint by slashing energy use, driving less, or even
making the switch to renewable energy sources.
4. Speak up for the ocean
For oil and gas companies, the ocean’s true value lies in the massive deposits of fossil fuels that lie beneath its surface.
From oil giant Shell’s now-abandoned plans to drill for oil in the
Chukchi Sea in the Arctic to BP’s intention to drill in the Great
Australian Bight—a tract of ocean off Australia’s southern coast—to
Indian coal giant Adani’s planned coal mine near the Great Barrier Reef, it is clear that fossil fuel firms have no qualms about exploring in, or near oceans.
But as BP’s 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the destruction of vast tracts of coral in Indonesia due to a cruise ship grounding demonstrate, an accident or spill in the ocean can have long-lasting and catastrophic consequences.
Yet another reason to halt fossil fuel extraction, including in
oceans, is that they need to be left in the ground in order to mitigate
climate change. Research published in Nature journal
in 2015 shows that known reserves of coal, oil, and natural gas cannot
be burnt if a global temperature rise is to be capped at two degrees
Celsius.
For virtually every set of ocean exploration plans by fossil fuel companies, there is a petition or campaign
to oppose it. If you live in areas affected by such projects, educate
yourself on the issues, evaluate the benefits and risks of the project,
and if you feel like the activity would harm the ocean, lend your voice,
time, or even financial support to ongoing activist efforts.
5. Think about the animals
Refusing to support the capture and exploitation of marine animals
for entertainment or education is another way to protect oceans and the
life they sustain.
In Singapore, for instance, environmental group Animal Concerns
Research & Education Society (ACRES) has been campaigning to ‘Save the World’s Saddest Dolphins‘
since 2011. These are a group of 25 dolphins caught off the Solomon
Islands coast and held captive at local tourism hub Resort World
Sentosa. Four dolphins have died since the campaign was launched.
The same issue exists in marine parks and commercial aquariums all
over the world, with distressing consequences for the animals and
sometimes, their human handlers too.
Anbarasi Boopal, deputy chief executive, ACRES, tells Eco-Business
that “wild animals belong in the wild, and should not be removed for
entertainment and profiteering”.
“By watching them in captivity, one is directly supporting the
cruelty and suffering behind the industry,“ adds Boopal. “Individuals
can instead choose to watch them in the wild, to appreciate them as they
are and learn more about them.”
Ethical alternatives to learning about marine life include tours that
take people to see dolphins and whales in the wild, and organisations
that rehabilitate and release marine life rather than breeding or
capturing it.
6. Educate yourself—and others
Ocean protection is no doubt a complex issue, intertwined with how
we eat, live, and even commute. There are many documentaries available
that provide a comprehensive education on the issues, and introduce
solutions that can help.
The official World Oceans Day website recommends films such as A Plastic Ocean, Planet Ocean, and Acid Test; the latter two are free to view online.
Let's rewind, with few more points in mind:
Let's rewind, with few more points in mind:
Mind Your Carbon Footprint and Reduce Energy Consumption. ...
Make Safe, Sustainable Seafood Choices. ...
Use Fewer Plastic Products. ...
Help Take Care of the Beach. ...
Don't Purchase Items That Exploit Marine Life. ...
Be an Ocean-Friendly Pet Owner. ...
Support Organizations Working to Protect the Ocean. ...
Influence Change in Your Community.
http://www.eco-business.com/news/6-ways-to-save-the-worlds-oceans/
http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/take-action/10-things-you-can-do-to-save-the-ocean/
http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/take-action/10-things-you-can-do-to-save-the-ocean/
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