Our World Ocean
It's the International Decade of the Ocean. Let's Celebrate.
Happy Ocean Month!
From the Wheelhouse
If there ever was a reason to stay positive about the fate of our planet, it’s the world ocean.
Consider…
Some 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by human greenhouse gases has been absorbed by the ocean.
At least 25 percent of the carbon dioxide emitted to the atmosphere as a result of human activities has been removed by the ocean.
More than 3 billion people rely on ocean fish—wild-caught or farmed—to meet at least 20 percent of their protein needs.
The blue economy generated more than $373 billion in the US in 2018.
Globally, the blue economy employs more than 31 million people at a value of more than $1.5 trillion.
Companies are stepping up to harness ocean resources in a climate-positive way.
The ocean is keeping us in the game while we figure out how to use it wisely and sustainably.
Now, some may see our impacts on the ocean—and there are many—as a glass half empty.
But I see reason to be hopeful.
The blue economy has the potential to emerge as the game-change in our efforts to reduce greenhouse gases and manage human-caused climate change.
That’s cause for celebration!
This Tuesday, June 8, 2021, we celebrate World Ocean Day.
And just a few days ago, President Biden declared June as National Ocean Month, to “celebrate our stewardship of the ocean and coasts, and reaffirm our commitment to protecting and sustaining them for current and future generations.”
The seeds of a nascent-yet-rapidly-growing effort to restore the ocean—and in doing so restore the planet—have begun to grow vigorously in the 2020s.
By focusing on the positive good happening all over the world, we shine a light on these efforts and move humanity closer to a sustainable and spiritually meaningful future.
If you’re looking for ways to spend your World Ocean Day-Week-Month, keep reading.
The Hook
Last Tuesday (June 1, 2021), UNESCO launched the first of a series of virtual events in celebration of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Science. The four-hour event is now available on YouTube:
Tomorrow and Sunday (June 5–6) brings a 24-hour live stream World Ocean Day event called Youth-a-Thon 2021. Each hour features a new topic aimed at educating youth about the ocean. Check it out here: https://worldoceanday.org/youth-a-thon-2021/
This Sunday, June 6, you might want to check out Coralpalooza Digital 2021 (10a-1p PDT). The virtual event promises to “celebrate a world of HOPE for our ocean world.” More info and free registration here: https://www.coralrestoration.org/coralpalooza-digital-2021
This Tuesday, June 8, the United Nations hosts a virtual event, the Ocean: Life and Livelihoods, from 7a-1p, PDT. With more than 40 speakers, the event will “shed light on the wonder of the ocean and how it is our life source, supporting humanity and every other organism on Earth.”
You can register here: https://unworldoceansday.org/un-world-oceans-day-2021/
The Line
A team of students in Malyasia have designed a cost-effective, scalable, parabolic device to collect ocean plastics.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute reports that some marine organisms may actually do quite well in a warming ocean.
Vogue spotlighted three ocean conservation activists—Eva Hidalgo, Mar Casariego, and Lamya Essemlali—in its recent issue.
FastCompany reports on an interesting carbon-capture-to-seashells project at UCLA.
The Sinker
Scientific American reports that Northern Hemisphere seabirds are having a tough time keeping up with the challenges of climate change, plastic pollution, and overfishing.
The SciAm article is based on this recent paper in the journal Science, Hemispheric asymmetry in ocean change and the productivity of ecosystem sentinels (Sydeman et al. 2021).
Le Fin
Art inspires creativity. So there’s this interesting piece on the history of surfboard resin abstract art.
May the ocean be with you!
Image from https://www.theoceanagency.org/