June 8 Marks World Oceans Day

In celebration of World Oceans Day on June 8, let’s re-commit to being part of the movement to build a more sustainable future. As Jacques-Yves Cousteau once compellingly said, 

“For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it.”

We can’t all be called Jacques. Nor do we all have a wet suit, expertise in oceanography, photography and other impressive talents.

Yet no matter our name or our abilities, each and everyone of us can make a difference when it comes to protecting our oceans.

World Oceans Day was first introduced in 1992 to raise awareness of the crucial role the sea plays in interconnecting all life forms on Earth and encourage marine conservation. The day became even better known in 2008 when the United Nations passed a resolution officially designating the day and calling on the international community to work together for oceans protection.

The Earth’s oceans are “the lungs of our planet, providing most of the oxygen we breathe, [as well as] a major source of food and medicines and a critical part of the biosphere,” the UN explained, pointing to the worrisome increase in ocean pollution, overfishing, acidification related to global warming, commercial exploitation of marine habitats and many other degrading pressures on the oceans.

Thankfully, the tides are turning and humanity is now striving to save – with acts big and small -- what we once sought to destroy. Nevertheless, sometimes it’s hard for the layperson to know where to start when tackling such an immense problem as oceans conservation, so the organizers of World Oceans Day try to make the day accessible by suggesting easy actions that can make a positive difference.

“We support people getting involved on whatever level they can handle, but we especially encourage people to do something measurable for the ocean,” the non-profit group explained.

Learn more about what you can do to help our oceans here.