United Nations Tweeted That All Of Us Can Help Protect The Seas and Oceans

The ocean drives global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. Our rainwater, drinking water, weather, climate, coastlines, much of our food, and even the oxygen in the air we breathe, are all ultimately provided and regulated by the sea. Careful management of this essential global resource is a key feature of a sustainable future. However, at the current time, there is a continuous deterioration of coastal waters owing to pollution, and ocean acidification is having a negative effect on the functioning of ecosystems and biodiversity. This is also negatively impacting small-scale fisheries.

Marine protected areas need to be effectively managed and well-resourced and regulations need to be put in place to reduce overfishing, marine pollution, and ocean acidification.

Affected Climate Change:

• Oceans absorb about 30 percent of carbon dioxide produced by humans, buffering the impacts of global warming.
• Carbon emissions from human activities are causing ocean warming, acidification, and oxygen loss.
• The ocean has also absorbed more than 90per cent of the excess heat in the climate system.
• Ocean heat is at record levels, causing widespread marine heatwaves.

Importance of Oceans:

• Over three billion people depend on marine and coastal biodiversity for their livelihoods.
• Globally, the market value of marine and coastal resources and industries is estimated at $3 trillion per year or about 5 percent of global GDP.
• Marine fisheries directly or indirectly employ over 200 million people.
• Coastal waters are deteriorating due to pollution and eutrophication. Without concerted efforts, coastal eutrophication is expected to increase in 20 percent of large marine ecosystems by 2050.
• Roughly 80per cent of marine and coastal pollution originates on land – including agricultural run-off, pesticides, plastics, and untreated sewage.
• Around the world, one million plastic drinking bottles are purchased every minute, while up to 5 trillion single-use plastic bags are used worldwide every year.

United Nations Tweeted About Ways To Protect The Seas and Oceans:

• Avoid Single-Use Plastics: single-use plastics can clog the oceans and seas. The fishes even mistake them for their prey and end up consuming them, which is very harmful to their health.
• Participate In Beach Clean-Ups: there are several clean-up drives to participate in, which impact the cleanliness of the oceans.
• Only Eat Seafood from Sustainable Fisheries: this would protect the population of the seas and oceans.

Over To You:
Saving our ocean must remain a priority as marine biodiversity is critical to the health of people and our planet.