World Oceans Day

The idea of ​​paying special attention to the care and protection of the seas and oceans was born, for the first time in 1992 at the Earth Summit , understanding that the oceans constitute a bridge between all the countries of the world and, therefore, should be provided attention to the actions of the human being that affect and have repercussions.

However, the first conference in which this issue was addressed took place years later, during the days between June 5 and 9 in New York, in 2008, which constituted a first call to the need to reverse the pollution and the deterioration of the oceans, being commemorated this day, from June 8 , 2009.

The issues raised in this conference coincide with one of the objectives of the 2030 Agenda, accepted by 193 member states of the UN, which commit themselves through a series of actions to the conservation, care and sustainable use of the seas and oceans .

On the other hand, the UN is also involved in the problem, creating campaigns, actions and requesting governments to carry out policies to reduce plastics. In addition to offering many other proposals and activities that are available to everyone.

The need to mark this day on our calendar is born from the lack of attention and carelessness that has existed for too long towards one of our most precious resources, such as the oceans.

The neglect that exists in many of the practices that involve the human being, such as fishing activities, aquaculture practices, tourist and recreational activities, building on the coasts, etc., have very harmful consequences for this ecosystem. Next, we offer you some data that will surely surprise you and that are some of the reasons why World Oceans Day began to be celebrated :

• 80% of the pollution that exists in the oceans is due to human activity.
• Around 8 million tons of plastic end up floating or submerging in our seas and oceans each year, causing extensive damage to biodiversity. Learn more about this problem in this other article on What are plastic islands and how are they formed .
• One million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals die each year due to the pollution of the seas and oceans.
• We ourselves are also exposed to this pollution, since we feed on those fish that feed on our garbage and we end up ingesting microplastics .
• The economic investments for the cleaning of the oceans imply a cost of 8,000 million dollars a year and, even so, they are insufficient. Luckily, we are beginning to see inventions that can speed up the solution of this problem, such as The Ocean Cleanup .

Furthermore, despite the fact that the oceans constitute 80% of the surface of the terrestrial globe, we must bear in mind that only 1% is protected.

Therefore, with this day, it is intended to inform and educate the population about the consequences that excess human activity has for the oceans and to implement actions that imply their care and respect, always promoting sustainable management.

Despite the little attention we pay to our oceans, there are many benefits that we obtain from them, being more than important for life on Earth and the maintenance of ecosystems. These are some data that demonstrate the great importance of the oceans :

• The oceans cover approximately 80% of the planet’s surface, with 50-80% of life on Earth being found in the oceans. Find out more about the biodiversity of the oceans in this other post.
• They constitute the lungs of the planet, since phytoplankton are capable of producing half of the oxygen that exists in the atmosphere through photosynthesis.
• It annually absorbs 25% of the CO2 that it emits into the atmosphere due to human activity, thus reducing its impact on the atmosphere and helping to reverse the greenhouse effect.
• The set of marine ecosystems such as mangroves, marshes and seagrass beds are carbon sinks, being able to host a quantity of carbon five times greater than that of tropical forests. Learn more about this topic in this article about Blue carbon .
• Fishing and the consumption of marine animals is a source of protein for one in four people in the world. This gives rise to a very important economic activity in our society.

If you want to read more articles similar to World Oceans Day , we recommend that you enter our Other environment category .