8th June 2021

World Oceans Day – a good opportunity to reflect on what the oceans do for us and what we need to do for them.

The need to celebrate this day is linked to the urgency of raising awareness in the world about the benefits of the oceans for humanity and also to the fact that there is an individual and collective duty to use its resources sustainably, as future generations will also depend on the oceans.

The importance of Oceans

The Oceans occupy two thirds of the Earth's surface and, through interaction with the atmosphere, lithosphere and biosphere, play an important role in the planet's weather conditions. On the other hand, the oceans are not only the habitat of vast numbers of plants and animals, but also provide human beings with food, energy, oxygen and multiple resources.

The Oceans are still the planet's main thermal regulator, absorbing more than a quarter of the carbon dioxide released by human activities.

By 2050, an estimated 800 million people will be at risk from storms caused by extreme weather events, and more than 570 low-lying coastal cities will face a sea level rise of at least 0.5 meters.

A World Bank report estimated that flooding would cost coastal cities $1 trillion a year by 2050, with billions of dollars in infrastructure at risk. But this ocean risk is not a problem we'll face 30 years from now, it's a problem today.

To build greater coastal resilience to these extreme events, one of our greatest allies is nature - the most incredible innovator and entrepreneur on our planet, who has been developing adaptable and cost-effective solutions for millennia.

Remember: 7 Ways We Can Act to Protect the Oceans

Even those who don't live near the sea can do something. Each of these habits can help preserve precious ocean resources:

1. Follow sustainability guidelines when buying fish for consumption, so that companies that practice illegal fishing do not remain in the market;

2. Use reusable bags for shopping;

3. Use ecological means of transport to reduce CO2 emissions;

4. Save water and energy;

5. Recycle plastic and other similar products;

6. Support government efforts to create marine protected areas in your country;

7. Help marine conservation organizations with volunteer work or donate funds to them;

We know that the best and most important way to protect the oceans is to increase ambition, this will require a partnership and involvement of all.

And it will be up to all of us to decide whether or not to adopt the ocean policies and practices that we know are necessary, and whether we will still do so in time.

Happy World Oceans Day!