1st World Oceans Day - 8th June 2009

by Samir Joshi | June 8, 2009 at 09:18 am

520 views | 107 Recommendations | 22 comments

Paying another tribute to Mother Nature, starting from this year 8th June will be marked as World Oceans Day. Globalization and Industrialization along with the population explosion have taken its toll on natures wealthiest resource, the oceans.

Dwindling aquatic life, water salinity, destruction of coral reefs, pollution from land based sources, increasing sea temperatures are just the tip of the iceberg.

8th June has been offically declared as World Oceans Day by the United Nations. However the concept was proposed on long back on 8th June 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From that year onwards it has been unofficially observed every year.

On the first World Oceans Day the Secretary-General of the United Nations gave the following message:

The first observance of World Oceans Day allows us to highlight the many ways in which oceans contribute to society. It is also an opportunity to recognize the considerable challenges we face in maintaining their capacity to regulate the global climate, supply essential ecosystem services and provide sustainable livelihoods and safe recreation.

Indeed, human activities are taking a terrible toll on the world’s oceans and seas. Vulnerable marine ecosystems, such as corals, and important fisheries are being damaged by over-exploitation, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, destructive fishing practices, invasive alien species and marine pollution, especially from land-based sources. Increased sea temperatures, sea-level rise and ocean acidification caused by climate change pose a further threat to marine life, coastal and island communities and national economies.

Oceans are also affected by criminal activity. Piracy and armed robbery against ships threaten the lives of seafarers and the safety of international shipping, which transports 90 per cent of the world’s goods. Smuggling of illegal drugs and the trafficking of persons by sea are further examples of how criminal activities threaten lives and the peace and security of the oceans.

Several international instruments drawn up under the auspices of the United Nations address these numerous challenges. At their centre lies the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It provides the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out, and is the basis for international cooperation at all levels. In addition to aiming at universal participation, the world must do more to implement this Convention and to uphold the rule of law on the seas and oceans.

The theme of World Oceans Day, “Our oceans, our responsibility”, emphasizes our individual and collective duty to protect the marine environment and carefully manage its resources. Safe, healthy and productive seas and oceans are integral to human well-being, economic security and sustainable development.

The Ocean Project

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World Ocean Network

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Edmund Jenks

at 09:44 on June 8th, 2009

Increasing ocean temperatures, according to a recently released NASA study, are due to solar flair cycles from the SUN and not human activity.

However, dwindling aquatic life, water salinity, destruction of coral reefs, and pollution from land based sources are issues humanity can work to address and reduce the negative effects on our oceans.

Welcome World Oceans Day 2009!

liquilite1

at 11:16 on June 8th, 2009

With all the cover up stories coming out of NASA, especially on climate change, I dont know how much I trust their reports anymore. I cant just chalk it up to "natural" causes. If I had to put a percentage to it, I would say that the "human" impact is responsible for 85% of the current problems in the environment. Is it coincidence that in just the last 100 years, since the start of the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide, CFC's, and other greenhouse gases that have been pumped by the megaton into the atmosphere, have had no impact on "natural" global warming? ..essentially making a naturally occurring cycle, an ecosystem killing problem?

I think its long over due for us to be paying this kind of attention to our oceans.

Welcome World Oceans Day 2009!!

Samir Joshi

at 01:19 on June 9th, 2009

Thanks for the detailed viewpoint on the issue. Much appreciated.

Paschen

at 11:57 on June 8th, 2009

You see Ed, it is all a mater of stress factors put on a system.

In this case it is the ecosystem. The more stress is put on it the more it is likely to break, fall apart or even die as our Environment is doing lately.

Like a power plant, a house, a car or a living entity such as us Human. Can handle a certain amount of stresses put on it, exceeding that amount we cause, harm, damage or even death.

There are stress factors we can control and some we can not control. Like when we drive on the road we can can control our driving and behave, however we can not control the driving of others nor earthquakes that may affect us wile we are driving.

Same goes for the environment. We can control the stress we cause and put on our planet by stopping our pollution and cleaning up our mess and by doing so we reduce the stress the earth has to deal with and help the planet being able to deal with stress factors that we can do nothing about, yet that could kill us all the same if our planet can no longer compensate for the additional stress put on it because we Humans with our pollution have caused the planet to be over extended and there for die and us with it.

Some thing I was though by my Physics Professor wile Studying for my Chemical Engineer. "It is all a matter of Stress factors and keeping the Balance of each Atom. Once the stress tolerance exceeded, all hell breaks lose."

We can do our part by keeping us in line and stop our stress on the planet, we can not control the Sun though, however we can help the Earth to cope with it by not adding more trouble and not weakening it any more but rather helping it and straightening our planet.

Saying other wise is a bad excuse and will not hold up in an environmental court of law.

Samir Joshi

at 21:03 on June 8th, 2009

Oh wow... Thats a great lesson imparted by Paschen... Thanks a lot!

Samir Joshi

at 21:02 on June 8th, 2009

Detailed insight by Edmund.. Thanks for taking time for this...

icplm2008 (not verified)

at 06:57 on August 27th, 2009

As we know the green reduce rapidly so earth temperature become hotter...our ocean also get too much polution...Lets saave our Ocean NOw or we will latewww.icplm2008.org/

glenajess

at 10:19 on June 8th, 2009

I agree with Edmund... Part of it is uncontrollable but we should keep check on what factors we can control..

huneds

at 10:21 on June 8th, 2009

Good initiative again by SamirJ...

I guess you should be posting such stories about each "special" day more often...

Samir Joshi

at 01:19 on June 9th, 2009

Thanks a lot buddy! Good to know that you liked the story.

Paschen

at 11:00 on June 8th, 2009

The Ocean, the earth lung and bio mass.

shortmedia

at 11:41 on June 8th, 2009

shortmedia has contributed a photo to this story.

Samir Joshi

at 20:59 on June 8th, 2009

Thanks for your contribution!

Amy Judd

at 17:38 on June 8th, 2009

iambest

at 20:46 on June 8th, 2009

hey great news..i dont know abt this....Thanks..

Samir Joshi

at 01:20 on June 9th, 2009

You're Welcome!

Even I didn't know the occasion as it was the first World Oceans Day!

jazzyzazzy

at 01:28 on June 9th, 2009

this is good the ocean needs some attention too.

Samir Joshi

at 04:13 on June 9th, 2009

Yeah very true! I agree, they need more than just attention.

Kristena (not verified)

at 04:05 on June 9th, 2009

Good to see such days being marked, however only observing such days would not suffice the purpose. Some concrete steps need to be taken to preserve our oceans.