World Oceans Day

We all know that earth is called a blue planet since almost 70% of its surface is covered in water from the oceans. The risk of oceans drying up can result in endangering 70% of the Earth’s water resource. Imagine how difficult it will be to live without water. Oceans are the largest water bodies so the danger to them means danger to us and all the world including flora and fauna. To spread awareness about saving our oceans, World Oceans Day is celebrated on 8th June every year to make people aware of this risk to our oceans, the planet and to us by association. Let’s know more about World Oceans Day 2021, the theme, how it is celebrated and what you can do!

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Why do We Celebrate World Oceans Day?

The concept of World Ocean Day was suggested by Canada’s International Center for Ocean Development (ICOD) and the Ocean Institute of Canada (OIC) at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. But it was recognized officially by the United Nations General Assembly in 2008. The first annual theme of “Helping our climate, Helping our Ocean” with a special focus on coral reefs was launched this year by The Ocean Project and World Ocean Network. You can also check out the official website of UN World Oceans Day!

The annual themes of the last 5 years for the World Oceans Day are given below:

• 2016 – Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet
• 2017 – Our Oceans, Our Future
• 2018 – Clean our Ocean!
• 2019 – Gender and Oceans
• 2020 – Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean

Theme of the World Oceans Day 2021

Oceans are home to most of the biodiversity since it is vast and we cannot forget that oceans are also imperative to the world economy and will have about forty million people employed in ocean-based industries by 2030 which shows how it is a livelihood of a large number of people. Imagine what these people will do with their livelihood and how they will sustain their families. Therefore the theme for World Oceans Day 2021 is “Ocean: Life and Livelihoods” in support of the life and livelihood sustained by the oceans. The UNWOD 2021 has planned keynotes, panel discussions and presentations that spotlight biodiversity, the latest oceanic discoveries, interconnectivity between the ocean and its ecosystems along with a lot more.

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How to Save Our Oceans?

Humans have always had cultural, social and economic relations with the oceans and they have become essential to maintaining life on Earth and giving livelihood to millions of people. But now 90% of the big fish populations are depleted, 50% of coral reefs have died out and you know what it means that we are taking more than the oceans can replenish on their own which has put it and us at the brink of destruction with this chaos. The need of the hour is to save our oceans and to protect and preserve what we have left of the oceans we need to create a balance and move to sustainable development practices rooted in the understanding of the oceans and our relation to them.

We need to build almost an ‘ocean deep’ connection with our oceans! All this is not possible if we do not pull our own weight in this war against our own irresponsible practices. Not one person, government or nation can do this alone and it is the duty of every single person to save our oceans and our planet.

Here are some useful initiatives you can take to contribute to saving our oceans and celebrate World Oceans Day:

Say No to Plastic

Everyone knows how harmful plastic is harmful to the environment and it causes harm to the oceans and marine life as well. Can you imagine 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the oceans per year and it leads to a very slow and painful death for the marine life and the birds which rely on them for their food? Try not to use plastic, use other alternatives like paper or jute bags. 

Keep Beaches Clean

Try to clean up after you go to the beaches no matter if you were surfing, diving or just relaxing there. The stuff you leave behind directly goes into the oceans if it is not cleaned up before high tides. If you live away from the oceans try to take care of the rivers or any other water bodies around you because they ultimately flow into the ocean so even this will have an impact on the ocean. 

Sustainable Food Choices

Avoid having fish from fish farms because they harm the oceans. When you go to dine out or buy seafood that is healthy and sustainable. You can read about which ones are included in these categories.

Avoid Buying Products Made from Marine Life

Please avoid buying coral jewellery or tortoiseshell hair accessories or products made with shark products because they harm the coral reefs and the marine life. Every time you spend time at a beach, don’t take shells or corals from there and leave them where they belong!

Support Organizations

You can support organizations that help preserve and save the oceans like the Surfrider Foundation, Ocean Conservancy and The 5 Gyres Institute. You can volunteer for them or help in other ways. You can even help with beach and ocean cleaning drives.

Educate Yourself and People Around You

You can read about the issues facing this important resource and educate yourself, your friends and others around you. Knowledge is the best weapon that can be used to help save our oceans.

FAQs

Hope you now understand how important and urgent it is to save the oceans and why we celebrate World Oceans Day every year. Don’t forget to share this blog with your friends and family and tell them about the importance of saving oceans and marine life! Stay tuned to Leverage Edu for more such interesting reads and connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.