Chances are that if you are on this site and reading this blog, you are a fan of the ocean. Perhaps you might even call yourself a thalassophile and for you, every day ought to be considered World Oceans Day. After all, it should be, as in many respects our lives, health, and economies either directly or indirectly depend on the ocean. Sometimes consolidating all the festivities into just the one day makes much more impact and that is why we have a designated day to celebrate the ocean every year on June 8th.
It might shock some readers to know that World Oceans Day is a very young endeavour. It was only in 1992 at the Global Forum at the United Nation’s Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, that it was first proposed. It took almost 16 more years, countless grassroots efforts, and independent national campaigns before it became a formally recognized day internationally. In other words, if World Oceans Day were a person, it would only just be entering high school today.
Comparatively, the first Earth Day occurred in 1970. For a planet that is approximately 70% ocean and only 30% land, it might seem somewhat baffling that it took so long to get the ball rolling. To quote Sylvia Earle, “No water, no life. No blue, no green.” Of course, hindsight tends to come with the gift of 20/20 vision. After all, it is far more of a challenge to get a conversation started about something that is both so vast and so removed from so many – and for large groups of the population, the ocean is still perceived in that light.
Enter: World Oceans Day. The purpose of World Oceans Day is to raise awareness about the oceans, our relationship with it, how we use its resources, and how we collectively need to protect it. We need to make sure that the conversation is louder, clearer, and further- reaching than ever before. After all, the entire planet’s well-being depends on a healthy and thriving ocean. It is therefore fitting that this year’s theme for World Oceans Day 2021 (as set by the UN) is Ocean: Life and Livelihoods.
This year’s celebrations are even more symbolic as we enter the first year of the UN’s Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030). The next ten years will be critical for protecting the oceans. We desperately need to manage this ecosystem far better than we have done to date. Therefore, we need to dedicate as many resources as possible, and involve corporations, governments, and individuals as possible, to the cause before it is too late.
We at Scuba Moon intend to make up for time lost by previous generations and celebrate the beauty and power of the ocean ever more enthusiastically. Let us know how you are spending the day and what conversations you are having about our oceans in the comments below.