Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 8th June. UN World Oceans Day, celebrated on Friday in New York focused on “opening minds, igniting senses, and inspiring possibilities” to protect marine life worldwide.
The theme of the day was awaken new depths, warning of immediate protection needs and cautioned that there is no time for an “out of sight out of mind” sense of complacency.
UN chief António Guterres said the ocean sustains life on Earth and the problems are essentially man-made.
“Climate change is triggering rising seas and threatening the very existence of small island developing states and coastal populations”, he said.
Mr. Guterres mentioned that ocean acidification is destroying coral reefs, with sea temperatures reached record levels leading to extreme weather events. Overfishing and other factors are contributing to the destruction of the world’s marine ecosystems.
President of the General Assembly, Dennis Francis, attended the event and voiced similar concerns about the current state of the ocean.
“There is so much still to learn about oceans – and, importantly, to reverse the damage being caused to our precious lifeline resource.”
Mr. Francis said that the ocean is our strongest ally against climate change and therefore “it is our joint responsibility to course correct – and recommit to sustainably manage the ocean’s precious resources – so as to ensure their availability inter generationally.”
Guterres and Francis said they are expecting reflections on and actions toward ways to restore and protect our oceans as the Summit of the Future in September 2024 and next year’s UN Oceans Conference approach.
UNESCO released a State of the Ocean report pushing policymakers to think about “the ocean we need for the future we want.”
The report detailed threats to the ocean and trends that could help identify drivers of change.
It warned that the rate of ocean warming has doubled in 20 years and that coastal species are suffocating due to decreased oxygen levels in the ocean, among other things.
One of its conclusions is that “ocean literacy practice and research is a strategic ally to optimize resources, accelerate behavioral change and improve the implementation of ocean conservation programmes and sustainability practices.”
The speakers included marine biologist and oceanographer Sylvia Earle, who said finding ways to share the importance of protecting our ocean with the world can lead to vital action to preserve coastal wildlife.
“Now is the time for governments, businesses, investors, scientists and communities to come together in defence of our ocean,” Guterres said.
PGA Mr. Francis said we should “redouble our efforts to support and advance ocean action, build much-needed capacity in [small island developing states and other developing countries and promote innovative financing solutions that drive transformation and scale up resilience.”
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