Followed by World Environmental Day, to honor and conserve world’s blue planet, the World Ocean Day will be celebrated on June 08. This annual celebration event was proposed by International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) and Ocean Institute of Canada (OIC) at UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992. Every year World Ocean Day is celebrated with specific themes to spread awareness to manage and preserve marine resources. For this year 2019, they declared a theme “Gender and Equality”
Gender Equality and Women Environment
Ocean Science is multidisciplinary field, which encompasses Physics, Chemistry, Biology, climatology, geology and hydrology of Marine Systems. Progressive Scientific invention like usage of satellites, robotics, research vessels, and remote operated vehicles are also empowered to facilitate marine conservation, but everything needs human talent to support. Although new strategies and innovations are in place, when comparing men and women contribution in ocean science, men’s are dominating. An estimate shows that, 75 % of the researchers in Ocean Observation and Ocean Technology are overpowered by men. Further to that, with increase in faculty ranking, reduction in female contribution is also noticed. This urges the application of new governing hiring process, practices and mentoring to promote women’s in ocean science.
Marines Alarming Facts
By absorbing carbon dioxide, ocean generates significant amount of oxygen and huge quantity of food to Earths. But currently, Oceans is highly polluted, over exploited and sea creatures in the marine are kept endangered. A research shows, one in thousands of marine organisms like sea turtles, fish, marine mammals and sea birds are adversely affected by ingestion or entanglement. Half of the world’s sea turtle are in fatal, due to the consumption of plastic debris. Moreover 90 % of sea birds are ingesting plastic and also proved that it will increase further to 99% by 2050.
Threats from Plastics
“You reap what you sow”
Ocean is proliferated with plastic pollutions, only through human actions. Each year 8 million tons of plastics were dumped in to the ocean which resulted in huge marine habitat destructions. An estimate shows that by 2050, the ocean will have more plastic by weight than fish. To avoid plastic leaks into marine environment, we can start using plastic free alternatives like biodegradable things, avoiding single use plastics & ocean harming protects like jewelry and cosmetics. Also, only 9 % of plastic wastes are recycled out of all plastics ever generated, so we can accelerate the recycling process.
Educate Ourselves about Marine life
On World Ocean Day, let us teach and educate each other about the current oceans issues and to take steps to reduce the human impacts on the ocean. To save ocean, young people can take lead by implementing environmental skills and practices, by learning through courses and qualifications like IEMA – Environmental Sustainability Skills. Sustainable future is neither an option nor a choice, but it is vital. Such skills provide knowledge on future management & sustainability and will make real difference in the ocean world.
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