Educate, Celebrate, and Take Action this UN World Oceans Day
By Sophie Atherton
When is it?
8th June 2021
What is it?
70% of the earth’s surface is made up of ocean. The United Nations World Oceans Day aims to inform the public of the impact our actions have on the oceans, and the role that oceans play in our lives.
This worldwide movement was created to unite the world’s population through a project on the sustainable management of our oceans. This year’s theme is ‘The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods’. Scientists estimate that 50-80% of the world’s oxygen originates from the ocean. With Phytoplankton in the oceans absorbing four times as much carbon dioxide as the Amazon Rainforest, the ocean is pivotal to our survival on earth.
‘More plastic than fish in the sea by 2050′
– Ellen MacArthur
Seaspiracy
In March 2021, the Netflix documentary ‘Seaspiracy’ appalled viewers across the world with shocking allegations about the environmental impact of fishing.
The film exposed alarming global corruption and revealed information that has changed lifestyle choices for many, for good. It’s been found that nearly half of Seaspiracy viewers have considered giving up fish.
Surprising facts we learned:
- Sharks kill 12 people a year. We kill 100 million sharks a year
- The fishing industry receives $35 billion in subsidies each year
- 46% of the plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is fishing nets
- Fishing takes 2.7 trillion fish from the oceans globally each year
What can you do?
According to the WWF, there are several easy things we can do in our day-to-day lives:
- Check the label – is your seafood sustainable? Look for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) labels.
- Cut your carbon footprint – It’s as easy as turning lights off and getting up that extra bit earlier to walk to work instead of drive.
- Remove unnecessary single-use plastics from your daily habits.
- Educate yourself about the ocean
the csuite podcast
Our award-winning csuite podcast has been utilised to discuss and promote sustainability trends and issues on behalf of many brands. In March 2020 we recorded a podcast on ‘Sustainable Business’, which featured Natasha Pergl, UK Sustainability Business Innovation Lead, SAP and Stephen Jamieson, Head of Sustainable Business Innovation EMEA North, SAP. Natasha discussed her trip on SAP’s collaboration with eXXpedition, the initiative of exploring the science of and solutions to plastics in the ocean. Stephen discussed how SAP have been looking at ocean health overall and how business can deliver a clean ocean.
The more you learn about the ocean, the better prepared you’ll be to inspire change
This World Oceans Day…
- Spread the word about saving our oceans
- Show your support on social media with #UNWorldOceansDay
- Educate yourself – read the facts
Here are some podcasts that we found and recommend to help you get clued up (we should add that these are not produced by Audere Communications)
If you or your organisation are interested in making your own podcast and want to help spread the word about the importance of the conservation of our ocean, don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Learn more
- UN – Oceans day
- 7 ways you can help save the ocean
- Seaspiracy
- More plastic than fish in the sea by 2050, says Ellen MacArthur
- How to celebrate World Oceans Day
