World Oceans Day 2021: When you see water as far as your eyesight goes, such a water body is called an ocean. It is such a beautiful sight to see the giant waves one after the other splashing to the shore. The ocean is the house for marine populations such as various fishes, sharks, dolphins, starfish, octopus, and many such animals that live underwater.
World Oceans Day – 8th June 2021
Oceans are the most significant source of oxygen on earth. We celebrate oceans’ existence and their vast contribution to nature on the 8th of June every year.
History of World Oceans Day
The concept of celebrating oceans day was initially proposed by Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) and the Ocean Institute of Canada at the Earth Summit (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) in 1992. United Nations recognized the celebration of World Oceans Day only in the year 2008. The world commission on environment and development (also known as Brundtland Commission) noted in the Brundtland Report in the year 1987 that there is a lack of loud voice for the ocean sector compared to the other sectors.
Hence, the first World Oceans day’s focus was to shift the ocean’s attention and coastal development from sideline to centre stage worldwide. Between 2002 and 2008, the combined efforts by The Ocean Project and the World Ocean Network, several events we organized as a part of ocean awareness. They also launched worldoceansday.org to help promote events and activities around ocean and coastal maintenance and development. This launch’s other purpose was to get more involved in the activities that help shift focus on ocean development from sidelines to centre stage.
In the year 2004, The Ocean Project and The world Oceans Network filed a petition in The United Nations to recognize the 8th of June as Oceans Day. In the December month of the year 2008, the UN General Assembly officially proclaimed that we celebrate World Oceans Day on the 8th of June annually.
Some of the essential developments post the declaration of International Oceans Day were:
- The year 2010 reported over 300 events on World Oceans Day and a 26% increase in participation over 2009.
- A record of 45 countries took part in the activities organized as a part of WOD by The Ocean Project and World Oceans Network.
- The United Nations launched the Annual amateur Oceanic Photo Competition on International Oceans Day in the year 2014.
World Oceans Day 2021 Theme
The themes used by The United Nations for World Oceans Day 2021 are
- “Our Ocean, Our Responsibilities”
- “Our Oceans, Opportunities and Challenges”
- “Our Oceans greening our future.”
- “United Nations Convention on the law of the Sea @30.”
- “Oceans and People”
- “Oceans Sustainability Together let us ensure oceans can sustain us into the future.”
- “Healthy Oceans, Healthy Planet”
- “Our Oceans, Our Future”
- “Clean our Oceans”
- “Gender and Oceans”
World Oceans Day 2021 Significance
This day brings the focus on the maintenance and development of the ocean and coastal area. The ocean bed is the home for the marine population. Several activities take place underwater that cannot be seen from above sea level. Volcanoes erupt, tremors are noticed, huge whirlpools that sometimes eat away big ships etc. Ocean maintains its ecosystem organically with the help of marine vegetation. Humans have been polluting these oceans in the name of vacation, scuba diving, exploring marine life so on and so forth.
Tons of plastic gets dumped in the oceans; harmful chemicals that are a byproduct of the factories also goes into the oceans. This day’s significance is to celebrate the oceans, bring awareness to the increasing pollution in the oceans, take measures to preserve the marine life underwater, keep the beaches clean, and be happy looking at the vast blue waters as far as one can see. The purpose of this day is to achieve and maintain ocean equilibrium.
Let us support the initiatives taken by these International bodies and save our oceans for our better future and for the generations to come.
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