Saving our ocean is the responsibility of each and every person living on the earth and not only one is responsible for it. It’s the global responsibility of saving the ocean and its creatures living in it for making an equal and natural balance of life on the earth. Do you know that 3/4th part of our whole earth is full of only water and we have to have our earth water and marine lives from the danger of global warming.
World Oceans Day has been established as a big step (with the association of the Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network) to celebrate globally every year aiming to save the equilibrium of water and lives on the earth.
World Ocean Day 2019
World Ocean Day 2019 was celebrated worldwide by the people on 8th of June, Saturday.
World Ocean Day 2019 theme was “Gender and Oceans”. The theme focused on exploring the gender dimension of human being’s relation with the ocean. It also talked about finding ways to promote gender equality in activities related to oceans.
A World Ocean Day Conference was held at UN Headquarters on 07th June 2019. The participants across the world shared their piece of knowledge in building greater ocean and to promote gender equality in ocean related activities. The conference included a panel of storytellers, ocean experts, project officers, moderators etc.
The day was also used to make people aware about the importance of ocean and how it helps to support life on our planet. Awareness campaigns on reducing plastic and plastic bags were also an important part of the event on the occasion.
Maui Ocean Center, Hawaii, hosted an event on World Ocean Day which featured live performances by renowned singers and bands. The event also included marine presentations for people and face painting, marine crafts and other special activities for the children.
World Ocean Day History
World Oceans Day was officially established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2008 to be celebrated worldwide on 8th of June annually to resolve the ocean issues and save ocean water. Earlier it was celebrating unofficially every year on 8th of June after the first proposal of it in 1992 by the Canada at “Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil”. It has been started celebrating on international level by the collaboration of The Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network.
It was celebrated first time in the year 2009 on 8th of June after the official declaration of World Oceans Day in 2008 by the United Nations General Assembly in the resolution 63/111, paragraph 171. The celebration of this event was initiated by the collaboration of many countries worldwide. Oceans are the critical part of biosphere and essential element for the food security and life survival on the earth. World Oceans Day event provides an opportunity to all to combat with the current challenges spoiling the ocean cycle.
A non-profit organization of the United States, The Ocean Project, has started an advance level project for the conservation of ocean. The Ocean Project was established in the late 1990s with more than 1600 partner aquariums currently.
Another international non-profit organization, The World Ocean Network, promotes the required use of ocean with the motto “Caring for the Blue Planet, you can make a difference!”. The World Ocean Network was established in the month of November in 2002 having its office in Nausicaä (The French National Sea Centre in Boulogne-sur-Mer) France.
Annual celebration of the event is targeted by the particular theme to increase public awareness about the specific issues of the ocean. People are motivated to directly involve in the celebration through the many activities like beach cleanups, educational activities, film festivals, art contests, saving water creatures including other activities raising public awareness.
Why World Ocean Day is Celebrated
World Oceans Day is celebrated annually aiming to save the oceans and honor the oceans creatures for maintaining the balance of life on the earth. Day to day increasing human populations and modern advanced technologies with various lots of byproducts are the main reasons of ocean spoiling.
The Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network are working in association for years on this project of saving the ocean. They have promoted more than 1600 of the ocean conservation organizations throughout the world for working in association on this project for more effective and fast recovery of the oceans condition. They have created variety of effective awareness campaigns to run up such as beach cleanups, art contests, educational programs, sustainable seafood events, discussion events and etc for taking people into acts.
On the first celebration of world oceans day the variety of ways involving the society to save oceans worldwide were highlighted. It brings an opportunity to all to understand all the challenges come to way in regulating the global climate to maintain the proper ecosystem and livelihoods of human beings. It is celebrated to save the ocean from the criminal activities such as illegal drugs smuggling, draining instruments, human trafficking and threatening activities spoiling the oceans peace and security.
Ocean conservation is highlighted through unique themes on annual celebration. People are noticed about all the oceans importance through many activities. People get motivated about saving all the water resources such as rivers, ponds and etc. Some of the objectives are mentioned below:
> To motivate the public to change their attitudes by encouraging them to understand the need and importance of oceans in their daily life.
> To motivate people to learn about important ocean creatures and their role in maintaining the ecosystem cycle.
> To promote the oceans conservation throughout the world by encouraging everyone to become a good caretaker of the oceans and other water resources.
World Ocean Day Activities
World ocean day is celebrated every year by organizing variety of events and activities throughout the year. Some of the organized events are arranging information booths, snacks distribution, specimen collection, departure bay beach, beach cleanup with friends and families, related posters distribution, distribution of ocean day T-shirts among youths, scavenger hunt, painting, tug of war, discussion, saving marine mammals, museum display, conservation and protection activities, seafood festival, related interactive and educational activities, touch tanks, organizing award ceremonies for students and teachers, class presentations, demonstrations, coloring contest, related videos displays online, photo contests, fossil hunting walks and etc.
Oceans are the essential part of the life on earth and very necessary to maintain the ecosystem balance. Oceans are the key part of the biosphere and most important source of the healthy foods and medicines. World ocean day provides opportunity to all to celebrate at one place, the natural climate, weather, food and oxygen balance with lots of economic, environmental and social benefits. Some of the awareness activities promoting the common public towards the oceans saving are:
> Do your best to protect your water resources.
> Save your ocean by preventing it from pouring any chemical, garbage or other waste products into it.
> Lessens the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
> Use an alternative method of pest control and the proper system of disposal of all the household hazardous wastes.
> Follow all the practices of waste and pollution control.
World Ocean Day Theme
> The theme of 2019 is “Gender and Oceans”.
> The theme of 2018 was “Preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean”.
> The theme of 2017 was “Our Oceans, Our Future”.
> The theme of 2016 was “Healthy oceans, healthy planet”.
> The theme of 2015 was “Healthy oceans, healthy planet”.
> The theme of 2014 was “Together we have the power to protect the ocean”.
> The theme of 2013 was “Together we have the power to protect the ocean”.
> The theme of 2012 was “Youth: the Next Wave for Change”.
> The theme of 2011 was “Youth: the Next Wave for Change”.
> The theme of 2010 was “Oceans of Life: Pick your favorite * Protect your favorite”.
> The theme of 2009 was: “Our Oceans, Our Responsibility” and “One Ocean, One Climate, One Future”.
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