On June 8th the globe will celebrate World Oceans Day. The United Nations (UN) established World Oceans Day way back in 2002, after being approached by the Canadian Government proposing the concept at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

The Ocean Project

Oceans are under threat from climate change, overfishing, pollution, and marine habitat destruction and extraction. More than 70% of our world is covered in water, meaning the oceans’ health has a direct impact on most people. The Ocean Project was set up to promote conservation of the oceans collaborating with organisations such as museums, aquariums, zoos and youth groups. Over the past couple of decades, a global network of countries and organisations has grown to more than 2,000 members, and every year more join to celebrate the ocean and raise awareness of the importance of the oceans to everyone on earth. Between 2004 and 2008 a petition circulated to urge the United Nations to recognise June 8th as World Oceans Day. Tens of thousands of people from around the world signed the petition, the resolution was eventually passed by the UN in December 2008, officially recognising that World Oceans Day would be celebrated on June 8th annually.

Ways to Celebrate World Oceans Day

World Oceans Day is all about collaborative conservation. There are lots of ways we can participate in raising awareness and celebrate our oceans. Here are a few ideas that you could get involved in.

1. Watch movies and documentaries about the ocean – A great way to stay up to date with ocean conservation issues is watch documentaries such as Deep Sea, The Death of the Oceans and David Attenborough’s, The Blue Planet.
2. Participate in World Oceans Day events and activities. – Throughout June there are hundreds of planned events around the globe to celebrate World Oceans Day. There is a range of things you can get involved in including talks, film screenings, fundraising events and much more. India Celebrating say:

“Saving our ocean is the responsibility of each and every person living on the earth and not only one is responsible for it. It’s the global responsibility of saving the ocean and its creatures living in it for making an equal and natural balance of life on the earth.”

You can check out events near to you by visiting the World Oceans Day website.

1. Avoid eating seafood during June – Humans put the ocean under a huge amount of pressure through overfishing. Although most fisheries are sustainable, there are still some which are badly managed. Avoiding seafood during June will give the ocean a break. It is estimated that almost 90% of worldwide fish stocks are fully fished or overfished.
2. Recycle, and arrange a litter pick at your local beach – Plastics are one of the biggest problems affecting our oceans. There are many ways in which you can help reduce ocean pollution. Avoid single-use plastics such as straws, utensils, bottles, cups, and food bags. Take it a step further by arranging a beach clean-up. It’s great fun and incredibly rewarding as you’ll not only make new friends but also be supporting cleaner oceans and the environment.
3. Visit the beach and appreciate the ocean – Take time out to really appreciate the ocean. Our deepest connection with the oceans is the air that we breathe. Over half of the oxygen on earth is produced by the marine plants, kelp, algal plankton and phytoplankton. The oxygen is a by-product produced by the plants through photosynthesis.