World Oceans Day 2020:Need for sustainable oceans !

Jyotidipta Kar
Jun 9, 2020
7 min read

The theme of World Oceans Day 2020 is 'Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean'. The oceans are facing unprecedented pressures from factors ranging from pollution to climate change

Oceans cover 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface, and they hold 97 per cent of our planet’s water. World Oceans Day, celebrated across the world on June 8, is an annual event designed to encourage people to celebrate the oceans and take steps to protect ocean health.

With the ongoing issues related to water bodies, such as plastic waste, decreasing level of water, impurities in water and others, it is the utmost necessity to preserve and conserve our oceans. They are the lungs of our planet and provide most of the oxygen we breathe. Being a major source of food and medicines, oceans are needed to be preserved for their beauty and wealth.

World Oceans Day 2020 theme

The theme of World Oceans Day 2020 is "Innovation for a Sustainable Ocean". The oceans are facing unprecedented pressures from factors ranging from pollution to climate change. And these pressures are projected to only rise in the future. The need to balance the preservation of a healthy ocean and ever-increasing economic activities requires a fresh approach and rethinking in many areas.

Need for Sustainable Oceans

More than half the people on Earth live within 193 kilometres of the ocean, but even those who live nowhere near the sea are dependent on the massive saltwater ecosystem that covers nearly three-fourths of our planet. Scientists warn that the sea is changing rapidly and that our many uses of its bounty must be managed far more sustainably.

About World Oceans Day

Canada first proposed the concept for World Oceans Day in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Then, in 2004, the Ocean Project and World Ocean Network launched a four-year petition to the United Nations to officially recognise 8 June as World Oceans Day. Fours years later, in December 2008, a United Nations resolution designated the day for the oceans.

Importance of Oceans

Oceans cover 71 per cent of the Earth’s surface and hold 97 per cent of the planet’s water. They help feed the world and provide most of the oxygen.

Oceans also play a key role in regulating the weather and climate. Water evaporating from the oceans falls inland as rain, which we then use as drinking water and for growing crops. A variety of life-saving medicinal compounds, including anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer drugs have been discovered in the oceans. The oceans also provide us with abundant opportunities for recreation and inspiration. The ocean is vital to the world’s economy, with more than 90% of trade using sea routes and as a source of jobs for millions of people. The ocean is also the stage for a growing range of new ocean-related economic activities and constant innovations. The sea's biodiversity is astounding. Scientists have identified some 200,000 marine species but suspect that millions more actually call the oceans home.

Threat to Oceans

Threats to oceans include pollution, overfishing, invasive species, and rising ocean acidity due to the extensive use of fossil fuels. And we’ve all heard of the threat to the ocean from plastic waste. The problems are daunting, and this day is marked to remind global citizens that we should do our part in protecting our oceans with all that it and the rest of nature have given us.

We need the oceans to provide more food, more jobs and more energy. And we must maintain its capacity to regulate the climate and support biodiversity.

These are all reasons to manage the oceans better. To build a sustainable ocean economy, we must stop the degradation of the world’s marine ecosystems and improve the environmental status of the oceans. This will require action from all of us.

The oceans run like a ‘blue thread’ throughout Norwegian history. Sustainable use of the oceans has laid the foundation for Norway’s prosperity and the welfare of our population. Our ocean industries account for more than 70% of Norway's exports.

We firmly believe that the oceans hold the key to solving many of the most challenging tasks facing the world today. Eradicating hunger and extreme poverty by 2030. Fighting disease and pandemics. Combating climate change. Creating jobs in both developed and developing countries. Ensuring affordable and clean energy for all. Even securing peace and stability.

Our ocean environment is changing

The ocean waters around New Zealand are becoming warmer and more acidic. As they warm they have less ability to absorb greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. They also expand as they warm which leads to sea level rise and damage to our land and marine environments.

Pollution on the land also affects our ocean waters and marine life. Litter such as plastic and chemicals are washed into stormwater drains and rivers which flow into the sea. The impact depends on the type and scale of pollution and where the pollution occurs. Some marine environments and marine life are more sensitive than others to pollution.

What you can do to help

Protecting our marine environment is vital for the wellbeing of the sea, the marine life it supports and us. Cleaner oceans mean we can continue to enjoy our beaches for swimming, fishing and recreation.

There’s plenty you can do, either on your own or in a group, to make a difference.

See below for more information on these ways.

1. Reduce your emissions

The Genless website has ways you can reduce your greenhouse gas emissions from energy use.

2. Participate in a beach clean-up

Picking up rubbish is an easy way to reduce pollution on our beaches and oceans. You may choose to join a beach clean-up.

Check the Love your coast, Sustainable Coastlines and Sea Cleaners websites for groups. If there aren’t any in your area, you could start your own.

3. Reduce your rubbish and recycle

"Sometimes rubbish looks like food to me, but it tastes yuck and it’s really bad for me. Some rubbish is hard to see and I can swim into it and get tangled."

If we reduce the amount of rubbish we make on land it is likely there will be less in the ocean.

You can reduce your rubbish by recycling paper, glass, cans and some plastics. You could also compost food scraps and find ways to reuse some of your rubbish.

Many people and organisations are helping to reduce the amount of rubbish we create.

For instance through:

recycling and using recycled materials when making products
reducing packaging. MfE is working with New Zealand businesses to reduce packaging of their products.

4. Make sure only rain goes down the stormwater drain

"Blah, there is rubbish all over my pipi lunch. Hope it’s cleaner up the coast!"

One way rubbish makes it into our oceans is through stormwater drains. These drains collect and remove the rainwater from our streets. Unfortunately anything collected by the rainwater as it travels across the road and down the gutters – like cigarette butts, oil from cars and other bits of rubbish – also goes into the stormwater drains. The drains then transport this mix of rainwater and rubbish to our streams and rivers. These streams and rivers flow out to our oceans and this is where the rubbish can end up. Less rubbish on the street means less can be washed down stormwater drains.

One way to reduce pollutants entering stormwater drains is to wash the car on the lawn or take it to a commercial car wash that collects and treats the car wash water.

A fun way to get the message out about stormwater drains is to do some drain decoration. A picture or a sign is placed near a drain to remind people that what goes down the drain goes into streams and the ocean. Ask your council whether you can decorate drains near you.

See more tips on reducing waste entering stormwater drains

5. Help take care of a local stream

"All this sediment can clog up us sea anemones, making it hard for us to breathe and eat. It also shades the plants over there from the sun, which they need to survive."

If rubbish ends up in a stream or river it will very likely end up in the ocean. Sediment pollution can happen when soil enters waterways that flow to the sea. It is natural for some sediment to enter the ocean, but when there is a lot it becomes a problem. Sediment pollution can be increased by human activities such as earthworks near streams or when plants near streams have been removed.

Taking care of streams and rivers can include picking up rubbish and/or planting trees near the stream – which is called riparian planting. Plants on the banks of streams help to hold stream and river beds together, making them stronger which stops soil from being washed away.

Getting together with a group to take care of a stream is fun. Your council may provide some plants, help you understand how to take care of a stream and even showing you how to test the stream’s health.

See Nature Space and Million Metres Streams projects to find out more or contact your local council. If there aren't any groups in your area, you can ask the council to help you set one up!

6. Make a difference at your local beach

You can do this by picking up rubbish and making sure you take your rubbish home with you.

Our regional councils monitor the popular swimming spots in summer and let us know whether it is safe to swim there or not. They also monitor popular shellfish gathering sites and let us know if it’s safe to eat shellfish from these areas.

To check out the condition of your local beach you can visit your regional council’s website – almost all the regional council’s websites have up to date information on the popular swimming spots. Select your regional council’s website.

A tool that can help you learn about and monitor the coastal ecosystem and its condition is Marine Metre Squared [Marine Metre Squared website]. It was created with funding from the Community Environment Fund and the University of Otago. You can also ask your family and friends to get involved in reducing marine pollution.