The ocean covers 70% of our planet and between 50-80% of life on Earth is found below the surface of the ocean, which makes up 90% of our planet's habitable space. Seas and oceans are at the heart of our planet and play an important role in our lives. They regulate the climate, feed millions of people each year, produce oxygen, support a variety of wildlife, provide medicines and play many other roles. To preserve our seas, it is important to act daily and to review certain harmful practices. Nearly 40% of the oceans are considered "heavily impacted" by human activities, including pollution, depletion of fish stocks, destruction of coastal habitats such as coral reefs, mangroves and seaweeds, and the establishment of invasive aquatic species.
This year's World Ocean Day theme is "Healthy Ocean, Healthy Planet". Plastic pollution of the oceans is a very serious threat, as it causes very slow degradation and affects waterways for years. Plastic pollution also harms marine animals, especially zooplankton, which mistake microbeads for food. In the long term, scientists also fear for the health of humans.
A special day at the United Nations
To celebrate World Ocean Day, which takes place every year on June 8, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO) is organizing a full day on the theme of the ocean and its interaction with the climate system. This event will bring together scientific experts, policy makers, civil society and youth, around various scientific workshops, plenary sessions and exhibitions. The goal of the day will be to find ocean-friendly solutions to reduce the effects of climate change and its socio-economic impact. At the end of the day, a set of joint recommendations for concrete actions will be presented to the heads of state and representatives of the United Nations present on this occasion.
Organized in partnership with the Ocean and Climate Platform, the IOC-UNESCO will also take advantage of this day to launch the Ocean Appeal for Climate, which will be the starting point of a major mobilization of the general public and decision-makers for a better consideration of the oceans in climate negotiations. This event will be followed by the 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21).
Why celebrate World Ocean Day?
- To remind the importance of the oceans in our daily life. True lungs of our planet, they provide most of the oxygen we breathe;
- To inform the public about the impact of human actions on the ocean;
- To develop a global movement for the oceans ;
- To mobilize and unite the world's populations on a project of sustainable management of our planet's oceans, as they are an important source of food and medicine as well as an essential element of the biosphere;
- To celebrate together the beauty and richness of the ocean.
