World Oceans Day 8th June 2022. How our oceans are changing.

Planet Earth is covered by approximately 70% water. Human beings & millions of marine & on-land wildlife depend entirely on the oceans, seas & rivers to survive.

Entire cultures of humans have evolved to live & thrive in & on the oceans & marine wildlife & eco-systems are continually evolving, as they have done for millions of years.

Humans rely on the oceans not only as a huge food source for billions across the globe, but for essential travel & tidal resources which support entire economies.

Marine wildlife relies on the immense biodiversity the oceans can provide.

However, the oceans of planet Earth are in trouble. Vast islands of floating plastics, pollution, thousands of miles of energy cables & excessive mining for minerals; have caused the oceans to change & alter their ability to function as they should have done without human intervention.

As part of the impact of climate change, human’s are not only seeing sea levels rising at an astonishing rate, but there are entire cultures of indigenous peoples who are having their homes & livelihoods threatened by these rises & a by-product of this could be ‘climate migration’

The term ‘climate migration’ or ‘climate refugee’ has become a very real issue for some indigenous people, as their land & livelihoods become more & more affected by anthropogenic climate change. What is more alarming is the fact that some indigenous people are not only looking at a future where their livelihoods are irreparably changed, but in some cases where their land could disappear altogether.

One of the stories brought to COP25 (2019) was from Doreen Debrum, Ambassador of the Marshall Islands where she spoke openly & honestly about her concerns for her people.

“People belong to the land, not the other way around. Everyone belongs to somewhere specific & you can always return. If you lose that connection, you will be lost. What if there is no more land or no more functional land, then what becomes of us not only as a nation or a collective people, but also our own selves.

If we leave, there will be no return & what do we become as a culture? For me & early generations of Marshallese the cost of failure is simple; just 30 years ago our forefathers fought hard & long for our political independence & for our statehood.

Could you imagine having won an independent state only to realise now that your children & your grandchildren may see it disappear?” (1)

Humans are not the only creatures who are affected by the changes in ocean behaviour.

Marine wildlife being drawn by warmer waters in different areas around the globe are now changing their migration patterns & acclimatising to warmer waters. Pollution & human intervention has killed thousands of miles of essential coral reefs around the world, plastics have found their way into food chains & the acid content of the oceans is on the increase.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) increased 40% from preindustrial levels to the early 21st century, ten times faster than has occurred on Earth for millions of years.
The ocean surface layer absorbs about one third of human-released CO2.
Ocean acidity has increased about 25% from preindustrial times to the early 21st century, a pace faster than any known in Earth’s geologic past.
The acidity of the ocean is greater than any point in the past two million years. (2)

However, leading scientists worldwide have determined a healthy ocean is a critical part of the solution to the climate & biodiversity crises.

By supporting 30×30, World Ocean Day.org are promoting how we can protect planet Earths life support systems – specifically the interconnected issues of ocean, climate & biodiversity. (3)

Due to the efforts of the growing global 30×30 movement, including those involved in the World Ocean Day network, more than 90 countries have already committed to protecting at least 30% of their land & ocean by 2030. (3)

Written & cited by Katy-Jane Mason for & on behalf of Virtually Smart Ltd