Healthy oceans-Healthy planet

The World Oceans Day is celebrated on 8^th June every year. The theme is chosen for two years, for 2015 – 2016 it is” Healthy oceans, healthy planet”.

The concept for a “World Ocean Day” was first proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit, based on which UN General Assembly passed a resolution in December 2008, recognizing June 8th to celebrate World Oceans Day. Each year an increasing number of countries and organizations mark June 8th as an opportunity to celebrate the day showing our personal connection to the sea.

The ocean is the heart and lifeblood of our planet, connecting people across the Earth, no matter where we live. They flow over nearly three-quarters of our planet, and hold 97% of the planet's water. The oceans are providing us a lot of services and benefits, it regulates the climate, feeds millions of people every year, produces more than half of the oxygen in the atmosphere, absorb carbon, is the home to a wide array of wildlife, provides us with important medicines, and much more.

About half of the world’s population lives within the coastal zone, and ocean-based businesses contribute more than $500 billion to the world’s economy.  No matter how far from the shore we live, oceans still affect our lives. In order to ensure the health and safety of our communities and future generations, it’s imperative that we take the responsibility to care for the ocean as it cares for us.

Oceans are becoming fast polluting, we are adding untreated sewage, industrial discharges, chemicals, insecticides, pesticides and harmful hazardous and toxic substances into the oceans thinking that it will digest and treat all these impurities and will yield fish, shrimps and other beneficial substances which are mandatory for our health and wellbeing. Dumping of plastics is a main issue whereby we are largely dumping and disposing plastics into the oceans causing plastic pollution. The oceans and its wildlife are choking on plastic, and we need to both stop this pollution at the source, and clean it up from the coasts.

Despite the huge challenges facing the world’s oceans, by working together we can achieve a healthy ocean that provides for the billions of humans, plants and animals which depend on it every day.

We need to understand that everyone’s health depends on a clean and productive ocean. Under the theme of Healthy oceans, healthy planet, we need to motivate and encourage people to focus on what actions each of us can take to protect the ocean and safeguard vulnerable communities and places.

It’s up to each one of us to help ensure that our ocean is protected and conserved for future generations. World Oceans Day allows us to change our perspective, encourage us to think what the ocean are contributing in our lives enabling us to conserve it for present and the future generations.

Let us celebrate the ocean day and strive to protect it. By working together, we can and will protect our shared ocean! The activities which we can plan and implement include awareness lectures, seminars, workshops, community meetings, visit to suitable location near to oceans, coastal areas, zoo, Wildlife Park and gardens etc. Let us pledge to safeguard our oceans and water bodies and commit ourselves in protecting our fragile environment.