The earth’s future depends on the awareness and consciousness of our future generations of the conservation of natural resources at the core of earthly life. They are the incubator of life, and it is time to preserve their ecological natural condition. Their natural composition is ruined and the effects of climate change are subject to uncontrolled contamination with petrochemical and plastic. In order to make sure your kids know the value of 70% of the Earth, there cannot be a better day to begin their journey into a wide and deep oceanic world than World Oceans Day.
When is World Oceans Day?
World Ocean Day takes place every year on 8 June. As the name suggests, World Oceans Day is commemorating the significant role of the oceans in our everyday life. With the problems associated with ongoing water bodies such as plastic waste, reducing water levels, water pollution, and many others, protecting and conserving our oceans is a key necessity. They are our planet’s lungs and supply plenty of the oxygen we breathe. Oceans must be conserved for their beauty and richness as the principal food source and medications.
History of World Ocean Day
The International Ocean Conservation Center of Canada and the Ocean Institute of Canada first proposed World Oceans Day at Rio de Janeiro’s Earth Summit in 1992. Since 2002, the World Ocean Network has helped to gain support and organize activities worldwide on 8 June. A huge network of over 2000 organizations around the globe is invested in protecting the ocean against any technological and other human damage.
On 5 December 2008, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to declare June 8 as World Oceans Day, after bringing much-needed international attention to ocean conservation.
Significance Of World Ocean Day
The composition, temperature, currents, and life in the oceans drive every natural system that makes Earth habitable for humankind. Even the balance of oxygen that we breathe is primarily dependent on the ocean. The health of our oceans has become a matter of grave concern, due to the damage they have endured.
To dedicate a specific day not only helps to raise consciousness among the public but also to organize civic and political conscientious efforts to tackle this global issue. Spending just one day to celebrate the oceans is not sufficient to change the marine ecology. It works perfectly well as a base for people, particularly younger people, to come together to act against every harm done to the oceans.
Interesting Facts About World Oceans Day
It is not enough to learn just about World Ocean Day for your children to understand how important the ocean is for man’s survival. You may share some fun facts and the importance of oceans on World Oceans Day to encourage your kids to commemorate our oceans and create a change:
- The oceans contribute to 97 percent of the Earth’s water. More than 200 000 familiar species and millions of unidentified organisms live in it.
- The oceans clean up the air we respire by consuming 30% of the carbon dioxide, which also helps to reduce pollution and global warming impacts.
- Oceans are the world’s leading protein source and over 2.6 billion individuals are mainly dependent on oceans.
- Today 40 % of the world’s oceans are affected by human activities. This leads to pollution, fishing depletion, loss of coral reeves, and marine species endangerment. Today, seven out of the 13 major species of whales are in danger.
- Every year 13, 000, 000 tons of plastic spills into the ocean. The ocean is projected to have more plastic than fish by 2050. Every year, over 100 000 marine species are destroyed by the pollution of plastic oceans.
- Each year, different aspects of marine life and human dependence on the oceans are covered in a new theme. The theme of the World Ocean Day celebrations in 2020 is “Gender and the Ocean.” This theme highlights the damage that gender disparities can bring to our oceans.
- UN General Assembly President has launched a global “Play It Out” campaign against plastic use.
- As an initiative to protect the oceans against illegal fishing, the Marine Protected Areas have been chalked.
- Jellyfish is older than dinosaurs as a species and has been on this planet for over 650,000 years.
- Under the Pacific Ocean, the biggest zone of active volcanoes in the Ring of Fire, which comprises 75 % of the world’s volcanoes.
Activities for Kids In World Oceans Day
No matter how tiny their hands are, kids will push this movement and even encourage adults to take part. Here are only a few activities your children may arrange on World Oceans Day:
1. Themed Programme
Children of all ages will gain significant attention from an ocean-based arts and crafts competition. Children can compete for drawing, then showcase their creative works. In fact, you can encourage several young writers to present marine life stories and poems.
2. Storytelling Competition
It’s safe to say all children love stories, especially if they decide who is the best narrator. Join the adults to put their theater skills in order to entice the children with storytelling abilities. You can also make better use of the wave sounds or wild beasts from the ocean.
3. Clean-up
Invite all the children in the neighborhood to the beach or any water body close by to clean the area. This will help them to understand how much litter ends up in the oceans through different waterways polluting the habitat of marine life.
4. Let The Children Teach
No child would say no to an opportunity to give his / her parents some sound advice. Ask the kids for a list of human activities that harm our oceans and develop educational ideas for their preservation. Arrange a session with all adults where the children present their views on how our oceans and our world can be healthy.
Without life in the oceans there’ll be no life on land. The sooner we realize this reality, the better for our kids and for us. As a parent, you can make your children, the future leaders of this planet, make a significant contribution to the value of oceans.
Also Read: Facts About Nature For Your Kid
