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.
The ocean covers over 70% of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth. The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. The ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030. – World Oceans Day reminds every one of the major role the oceans have in everyday life.
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The pollution we see is only the start
Conserving our oceans
The oceans on Earth serve not only as the home to marine life, but as a source of employment for people, creation of tourism spots, microbiology for vaccines, CO2 sequestration (30% of CO2 produced by humans is sequestered by the ocean), and much more. However, our oceans are at risk due to overfishing, trash, acid levels rising, and unregulated wastewater discharging. People across the globe have long taken the oceans benefits for granted, however we are at the brink of ocean ecosystems collapsing. For example, nearly half of the Great Barrier Reef was considered dead in 2016 and thus the tourism market, sequestration power, and fish ecosystem die with it.