Ironically enough, today is World Oceans Day. Given the BP situation in the Gulf, it seems that we are more aware of the ocean than ever before, but that doesn’t make it a good thing,
World Oceans Day was proposed by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. Countries celebrated June 8th as World Oceans Day, but it wasn’t until last year when the United Nations finally made it official. Each year, the World Ocean Network, a worldwide organization to promote ocean sustainability, and The Ocean Project, a network of organizations to promote ocean education, have promoted the day among their partners and other organizations around the world.
What exactly is World Oceans Day? It is a day to honor the oceans and be thankful for all they provide for us, including seafood and marine life. But, it is also a serious day to look at how pollution is threatening our oceans and how over-consumption of certain types of seafood is drawing some species closer to extinction. Giving the oceans their own day is an attempt to make people appreciate them by getting involved in community events such as beach cleanups, sustainable seafood events, learning programs, film festivals and art contests.
The theme of the first official World Oceans Day in 2009 was “”Our Oceans, Our Responsibility.” The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, issued a statement which stressed that it was our responsibility to keep the oceans healthy and thriving because they contributed so much to society. He also pointed out how vulnerable the oceans can be to harm from illegal fishing, marine pollution, and climate change, done by man.
This year’s theme is “Oceans of Life.” Last year, President Obama set up an Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force to come up with a national ocean policy. Perhaps with the situation in the Gulf, he will feel some urgency to pass a ocean policy for America to possibly prevent future disasters.
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