World Oceans Day

The oceans regulate the climate, provide a livelihood for millions of people every year, produce most of the oxygen we breathe, support an extraordinary wealth of biodiversity, supply us with important medicines, and much more besides.

Today, seas around the world are under threat from growing human pressure: the overexploitation of fish stocks, pollution, the intensive expansion of maritime transport and infrastructure, and acidification caused by climate change, which has devastating effects on many ocean systems, especially coral reefs. At present, less than 4% of the oceans are protected, and marine protected areas account for only a tiny fraction of their total surface. Yet protecting the oceans would bring major benefits, not least for the global economy.

This year’s theme for World Oceans Day is ‘Reimagining’. For years, the watchword has been to ‘protect’ the oceans - from pollution, intensive fishing and coastal land development. Today, however, protection alone is no longer enough. That is the idea behind this year’s theme: we need to look beyond the world as we know it and rethink our relationship with the seas and oceans, moving from protection to the active regeneration of marine ecosystems.

To find out more about World Oceans Day, click here.