World Ocean Day. The great blue ally.

World Ocean Day is celebrated on 8th June every year to spread awareness about saving our oceans.  Earth is called a blue planet since almost 70% of its surface is covered in water from the oceans, the largest water bodies.

The purpose of the Day is to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean, and mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world’s oceans.

A day for the sustainable development of the oceans

The concept of World Ocean Day was suggested by Canada’s International Center for Ocean Development  and the Ocean Institute of Canada at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992. But it was recognized officially by the United Nations General Assembly in 2008.

The theme for World Oceans Day 2021 is “Ocean: Life and Livelihoods” in support of the life and livelihood sustained by the oceans. This year’s theme is especially relevant in the lead-up to the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which will run from 2021 to 2030. The Decade will strengthen international cooperation to develop the scientific research and innovative technologies that can connect ocean science with the needs of society.

The 2021 conservation action focus is about protecting at least 30% of our oceans by 2030 (“30×30”). A healthy ocean is a critical part of the solution to the climate crisis.   

Why the Ocean Matters

Covering 72% of the Earth and being home to most of the biodiversity, the ocean is our planet’s life support system. But our ocean faces major threats: global climate change, pollution, habitat destruction, invasive species, and a dramatic decrease in ocean fish stocks. These threats are so extensive that more than 40% of the ocean has been severely affected and no area has been left untouched. Consequently, humanity is losing the food, jobs, and critical environmental services that a healthy ocean generates.

Regarding these environmental services, 50% of the oxygen comes from the ocean, thanks to plankton and aquatic plants that absorb CO2 and release O2 into the atmosphere. Water can also absorb thousands of times more heat than air, which is why 93% of global heating is taken up by the seas.

The ocean drives our climate.In fact, it absorbs 98% of the heat from the sun’s rays, which is then moved around the earth via currents and hot water at the equator is carried all the way to the poles.

Finally, the oceans play a key role in the water cycle. When the sun shines and the warm currents heat the ocean, water evaporates. The clouds then get blown back over the land, then it rains, and this water is used by every living thing on the planet before making its way back to the Ocean. Without this process, most of our planet would be desert.