The United Nations World Ocean Day 2023 is June 8. This year’s theme is “Planet Ocean: Tides are changing”. It aspires to reveal the unseen sides of the world and inspire newfound excitement for protecting and maintaining the ocean and the entire blue planet.
The International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) and the Ocean Institute of Canada (OIC) of Canada initially put forward the idea in 1992 during the Earth Summit – UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. World Ocean Day has been globally coordinated since 2002 by The Ocean Project. In 2008, “World Oceans Day” was formally acknowledged by the UN. The international day promotes public awareness of the need to safeguard the oceans and their significance in accomplishing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Oceans cover more than two-thirds of the planet. It is the wellspring of life for all living things on the planet, including humans. At least 50% of the oxygen on the earth is produced by the ocean. Most of the biodiversity on planet is found there. For more than a billion people around the world, it serves as their primary source of protein. The oceans control our climate. A large portion of the global economy is also supported by them, including industries like international shipping, fisheries, and tourism. Not to mention, our economy depends heavily on the water, with 40 million people expected to work in industries related to the ocean by 2030.
Despite all of its advantages, the ocean today requires assistance. The world’s oceans are under peril from plastic pollution, overfishing, and climate change. The amount of plastic trash bags that are dumped into the ocean each year is sufficient to cover all of the world’s coastlines five times over. According to National Geographic magazine, sea levels as deep as 2,300 feet, where the majority of ocean life lives, have been affected by the global rise of ocean temperatures caused by human-induced climate change. We are depleting the ocean faster than it can be restored, with 50% of coral reefs lost and 90% of major fish species gone.
However, there is still time and hope for things to change. By using less single-use plastic and properly disposing of our plastic debris, we can assist our ocean in reducing pollution. We should conserve water by limiting runoff and wastewater into the ocean, along with pollution, waste, oil, and energy usage. We should also fishing ethically and operate boats safely.
Everybody is reminded on World Oceans Day of the significant contribution oceans provide to daily life and the necessity for ocean conservation. The Day aims to raise public awareness of the effects of human activity on the ocean, create a global movement of ocean citizens, and mobilize and bring people together around a project for the sustainable management of the world’s oceans.
Around the world, the day is observed with a variety of environmental activities and events, such as beach clean-ups, educational programs, art competitions, and open lectures. Every year, a new subject for World Ocean Day is chosen to represent the problems and difficulties the seas are currently facing. Today is the “World Ocean Day 2023”, we in Bangladesh have joined the cause to save our coastlines and Bay of Bengal from the pollution and keep the life safe under water.
Farhana Islam
Agriculturist, Researcher
