Willer Nature Gazette #1: Sink Getting Sick
Sink Getting Sick
The oceans are the largest ecosystem of this planet, home to 80% of the biodiversity, and account for more than 97% of its water. They produce nearly half the oxygen too.
What do oceans give us?
The air we breathe:
The air we breathe: The ocean produces over half of the oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere.
Recreation:
From fishing to boating to surfing and whale watching, the ocean provides us with many unique activities.
Climate regulation:
Covering 70% surface, the ocean transports heat from the equator to the poles, regulating our climate and weather patterns.
Medicine:
Many medicinal products come from the ocean, including ingredients that help fight cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer, and heart diseases.
Transportation:
Seventy-six per cent of all U.S. trade involves some form of marine transportation.
Food:
The ocean provides more than just seafood; the ingredients from the sea are in foods such as peanut butter and soymilk.
For far too long, people assumed that the ocean was limitless and immune to human impacts. But now things have changed a lot. Ocean health is declining & the reason that scientists have come to understand is the devastating impact and continued threat of human activities.
Overfishing, climate change, pollution, habitat destruction, invasive species, and other forms of human exploitation have put our oceans at risk. No area has been left untouched.
The Eminent threats to the oceans...
Increase in the exploitation of marine stocks.
Around 80% of the marine fish stocks are now fully exploited, overexploited or depleted, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The implications for food security and global economies are enormous.
Rising ocean pollution
Plastic waste makes up 80% of all marine pollution. Around 8 to 10 million metric tons of plastic ends in the ocean each year. Research states that, by 2050, plastic will likely outweigh all fish in the sea. We have produced more plastic products in the past ten years than in the previous century.
Rising Sea level.
The oceans are warming faster than previously estimated. Melting Arctic ice pours an estimated 14,000 tons of water every second into the oceans, making it the highest contributor to rising seas. Antarctic warming is also a contributor. This iceberg calved off Antarctica, adding to rising sea levels as soon as it slipped off the land mass and began to float. According to NASA, sea levels rise by around 3 mm each year.
Coral Bleaching
A warming planet means a warming ocean, and a change in water temperature—as little as 2 degrees Fahrenheit—can cause coral to drive out algae. Thousands of marine animals depend on coral reefs for survival. Reefs provide shelter, spawning grounds, and protection from predators. As reef ecosystems collapse, already at-risk species may face extinction.
Declining Marine Animal Species
According to the World Wide Fund for Nature 2015 Living Blue Planet report, since 1970, we have lost 49% of global marine animal species. For their investigation, researchers tracked 5,829 populations of 1,234 mammals, birds, reptiles and fish species, making this study twice as large as a previous one published by the WWF in 2014. That study found that the population of wild animals had dropped by 52% since 1970.
On a global scale, the ocean's health impacts the health of humans as it provides and regulates the rainwater for agriculture, the water we drink, much of our food, and even the oxygen we breathe. It underpins the global systems that make the planet habitable for humankind.
With three billion people depending on fish stocks as their prime source of protein and over 850 million people benefiting from the economic, social, and cultural services provided by coral reefs, we stand to lose a lot if this rapid-fire decline in marine populations continues.
According to the 39-page report, the ocean generates economic benefits worth at least $2.5 trillion yearly. However, only 3.4% of it is protected, and only part of this is regulated effectively.
If humanity wants to thrive, address inequality, prevent and reverse climate change and lift the world’s most vulnerable in dignity, we can not ignore preserving the ocean.
But what to do about it?
领英推荐
First, we can start by LIVING WITH INTENTION.
Around home
On the water
Anytime & anywhere
Around town
In 2017, at the first UN Ocean Conference, the Chinese delegation proposed the “Building the Blue Partnership” initiative, which called for joint action by states and multilateral organizations toward sustainable ocean governance. On 29th June, at this year’s conference, that same delegation announced the 16 Blue Partnership Principles. The principles establish a new model of maritime cooperation that is inclusive, and flexible and enhances mutual trust among coastal states worldwide.
Principles 1 to 5 outline areas of cooperation, such as protecting marine ecology, cutting pollution and prioritizing blue, sustainable growth.
Principles 6 to 9 underscore the central role that science and technology will play in the Blue Partnership, and the remainder outlines the shared vision for advancing the Blue Partnership, including openness, inclusivity and equitable governance.
The 16 Blue Partnership Principles are-
It took the international community 30 years to gradually determine global climate governance's objectives, principles, rules, and structure.?
When it comes to the ocean, we do not have another 30 years to spare.
Despite a well-documented decline in ocean health, the intense pressure placed on this vital planetary resource continues to grow. Pollution, overfishing, and global warming have pushed ocean health to a precarious place.?
We as a community, however, have a chance to change course & it must be before it is too late.
No water, No life.?No blue, No green.
Dr. Sylvia Earle - Legendary oceanographer, deep sea explorer,
and field researcher...
What more can be done to protect our biggest carbon sink, The Oceans?
Share with us in the comment section below...
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