Today (8 June) is World Oceans Day, and this year's theme is "Ocean Planet: Changing Tides", which aims to inform the public about the impact of human activities on the ocean. How can you intuitively feel the changes in the ocean? We can start with a set of ocean beauties.
These beauties may disappear
1
The Great Barrier Reef with bleaching
As the largest coral reef in the world, the Great Barrier Reef has existed for tens of millions of years, and diving in the beautiful Great Barrier Reef is a dream for many.
However, due to global warming and environmental pollution, the Great Barrier Reef has experienced several severe coral bleaching crises in the past 20 years.
△Coral bleaching
Coral bleaching means that coral reefs lose the symbiotic algae they depend on to survive and will eventually die from the loss of nutrient supply.
UNESCO has repeatedly proposed that the Great Barrier Reef be listed as a World Heritage in Danger, and to save it, the Australian Government has committed A$4.4 billion to protect the Great Barrier Reef, including improving water quality and establishing closed fishing zones.
2
Sunken Jakarta
Just say that everyone in Jakarta may not be able to react for a while, but when it comes to "Java", everyone should be clear, right? As the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta sits on the northwest coast of Java Island.
Due to global warming and rising sea levels, Jakarta's sinking has been accelerating in recent years, and nearly 40% of Jakarta is now even below sea level, and some areas are even 4 meters below sea level.
Under pressure, the Indonesian government has passed a bill that plans to spend heavily to start the relocation plan as soon as 2024.
3
"Underwater office" Maldives
As an island nation with an average altitude of only 1.2 meters, rising sea levels caused by global warming and coral bleaching caused by acidification have brought serious survival crises to the Maldives.
At the current global rate of sea level rise, the Maldives could sink to the bottom within 60 years.
To call attention to the crisis, the Maldives hosted the world's first "Underwater Cabinet Conference" to call for action to protect the environment.
Our oceans are at stake
According to the United Nations, the oceans produce at least 50% of the oxygen on Earth; More than 1 billion people worldwide also consume mainly their protein from the ocean; The marine industry is expected to employ 40 million people by 2030. As important as the ocean is to us, it is now at stake.
Human-induced climate change is warming the planet, disrupting weather patterns and ocean currents, altering marine ecosystems and the species that live in them. Marine biodiversity is threatened by overfishing, overexploitation and ocean acidification. More than a third of fish stocks are being fished at unsustainable levels, and we are polluting coastal waters with chemicals, plastics and human waste.
It is urgent to protect the marine environment.
There is still time to save the ocean
The world has taken action to save the oceans. At last year's United Nations Ocean Conference in Lisbon, participants unanimously adopted the Lisbon Declaration, agreeing to scale up science- and innovation-based ocean action to address the current ocean emergency. The United Nations plans to conserve and manage 30 per cent of terrestrial and marine and coastal areas by 2030.
In China, since the 13th Five-Year Plan, 1,500 kilometers of coastline and 30,000 hectares of coastal wetlands have been restored. Today, the area of mangrove forests, known as "coastal guards" and "green lungs of the ocean", has reached 27,000 hectares on the mainland, an increase of 5,000 hectares over the beginning of this century.
With the protection and restoration of the mainland marine ecological environment, it also provides a good habitat for rare and endangered species. In recent years, rare and endangered species such as Bryde's whale and Chinese white dolphin have also frequently appeared in mainland waters.
In order to better protect these returning marine spirits, the mainland has insisted on implementing the fishing moratorium in the four seas for nearly 30 years. According to the stipulations of the "Fisheries Law," the mainland adopts the principle of "focusing on aquaculture, simultaneously carrying out aquaculture, fishing, and processing, adapting measures to local conditions, and each with its own emphasis." Under the guidance of this policy, mainland aquatic products have been mainly farmed in artificial for many years.
In the waters of Nanhuangcheng on Yantai Long Island, the mainland has built Asia's largest deep-sea aquaculture fishery, ensuring the supply of aquatic products while avoiding overfishing of wild fishery resources. Since July 1, 2020, the mainland has also piloted the system of autonomous fishing moratoriums on the high seas of the southwest Atlantic and the high seas of the northern Indian Ocean, effectively promoting the scientific conservation and long-term sustainable use of fishery resources on the international high seas.
Protecting the oceans Individuals can also contribute
In fact, each and every one of us can also play a part in protecting the marine environment.
1
Choose ocean-friendly sunscreen
Many sunscreens in oxybenzone and other substances are toxic to marine life, according to statistics, tens of thousands of tons of sunscreen enter the sea every year, which will cause great harm to marine ecology. When visiting the beach, you can try to choose a sunscreen that is friendly to the sea and does not contain oxygen.
2
Pick up your pet's feces
Is pet droppings related to marine protection? It sounds ridiculous, but studies have found that cat and dog feces contain many germs that are harmful to marine life, and when these germs enter the city's drainage system, they eventually flow into the ocean and pollute the sea.
3
Green travel reduces carbon emissions
Earth's oceans absorb a quarter of man-made carbon dioxide, because of the absorption of a large amount of carbon dioxide, most of the world's seas are becoming more acidic, and the water temperature is rising, which will affect the marine life living in it.
Global Oceans Day is just a reminder
Loving the ocean is a matter of 365 days
Let's work together
Care for the cradle of life for all mankind