The Lungs of the Earth: Celebrate World Oceans Day June 8
To be completely honest, I knew nothing about World Oceans Day until I decided that I was going to write a post about this day. I know that I love the ocean, it has always been a place of solace for me, a place that I play in and call home.
Read below to learn more about this day and for statistics about the state of our oceans. We all have a duty to protect the lungs of the Earth (aka oceans), which are inherently connected to all humans by providing and regulating the oxygen that we breathe.
World Oceans Day History (WOC “Cliff notes” version)
- In December of 2008 the United Nations designated June 8th as World Ocean’s Day. However the concept of such a day was actually proposed back in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio De Janeiro (2).
- According to www.worldoceansday.org, Canada originally proposed World Oceans Day back in 1992.
- According to the United Nations this day was proposed, “to celebrate our world’s shared ocean and our personal connection to the sea, as well as to raise awareness about the crucial role the ocean plays in our lives and the important ways people can help protect it.”
A few stats and facts about our oceans:
- Oceans are said to absorb 30% of the carbon dioxide created by humans. The oceans help balance carbon as the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increases. When the seawater + carbon dioxide react the acidity of the seawater increases. Why does this matter? Increased acidity makes it challenging for corals and shellfish to build the shells they need for protection (3). AKA bye bye coral reefs- which devastatingly we know has been happening. (Google coral reefs and you will find loads of information about this topic).
- Oceans serve as the world’s largest source of protein, with more than 2.6 billion people depending on the oceans as their primary source of protein. This is concerning to think about when it is estimated that there are 5.25 trillion pieces of plastic in the sea (1). That means that since we know sea life is absorbing or ingesting microplastics, we by eating seafood are ingesting them as well. I highly recommend watching A Platic Ocean on Netflix. Warning- the images in the documentary are graphic (and broke my heart), however paints the sobering reality of how our marine life are so massively being harmed by human plastic consumption.
- Over 3 billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods (2). Why does this matter? People are the globe are working in various jobs to support their families and communities. This is not just a climate issue it is a global sustainability issue that impact peoples access to food, income, purpose and meaning in life, and more. Just imagine you have been doing eco water tours on a small island all your life and that is the way your small community has sustained itself in the past 100 years. Suddenly all the fish are gone and coral dead- now there is no tourism. You do not have anywhere else to go or money to start a life elsewhere.
I can go on forever with ocean info but will spare you for now. So….. you just read the grim and depressing info above and you are thinking, “What can I do to learn more and get more involved with helping our oceans?” Start by checking out these resources below to find an event near you to participate in World Oceans Day June 8! Yeeew! If you participate in this awesome day tag WOC on instagram @waveofconsciousness. We all can make a difference in saving our oceans and doing events in community makes it more fun!
Find an event at Surfrider or World Oceans Day websites below:
References
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150109-oceans-plastic-sea-trash-science-marine-debris
- https://www.un.org/en/events/oceansday/background.shtml
- https://archive.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/impacts/signs/acidity.html
- https://www.conservation.org/publications/Documents/CI_Five-Effects-of-Climate-Change-on-the-Ocean.pdf