World Oceans Day: protecting the oceans for safeguarding our existence

Oceans are the blue lungs of our planet. These large water expanses produce about 50% of the oxygen and are able to absorb nearly 30% of carbon dioxide helping us to mitigate the effects of global warming. Precisely because of their importance, World Oceans Day is celebrated every 8 June in order to reclaim the important role they play in safeguarding life on the planet.

World Oceans Day: origin and theme 2022

The idea of paying particular attention to the care and protection of the oceans was born, for the first time in 1992 at the Earth Summit, understanding that the oceans are a bridge between all the countries of the world.

However, the first conference where this issue was discussed took place years later, in 2008 in New York, which was a first call on the need to reverse pollution and deterioration of the oceans. And the United Nations Assembly has designated June 8 as World Oceans Day.

With the aim of raising awareness and reversing this situation, the Day of the Oceans is celebrated, in this 2022, with the theme "Revitalization: collective action for the ocean". This theme is part of the United Nations Decade with the aim of promoting science and research to ensure sustainable management of the oceans in the fight against climate change.

Importance of the oceans for life on the planet

The importance of the oceans is that they are the main source of life for everything that exists and moves on Earth. However, over the years, man, in his constant desire to move towards the search for new developments, has caused severe damage to the seas and oceans.

Every year there are thousands of species of plants and animals that become extinct due to the large amount of waste that is deposited in the waters of the sea and, although some governments have taken measures to correct the problem, they have not been enough to avoid extinction. of large marine ecosystems.

The oceans represent the great lung of the world, since from them we get oxygen, and in their natural cycle there is a process of filtration and purification of the air. But not just because another of his great contributions has to do with the provision of food for humans. Moreover, energy resources such as gas or oil, precious metals, necessary for the economic and commercial development of the whole world, are extracted from the oceans.

How has climate change impacted the oceans?

We cannot forget that the oceans perform the function of contributing to the climatic balance, however, at present the combustion of fossil fuels has had a negative impact on the whole Earth causing an uncontrolled increase in temperatures and a great imbalance of the climate in the five continents. . These abrupt and continuous changes pose a serious future threat to all of humanity, as, according to studies conducted by scientists, it has been possible to observe a rise in sea levels due to greenhouse gases in recent years.

Likewise, there has been the melting of glaciers at the Earth's poles and a significant decrease in the salinity of the oceans, which in the long run would cause major storms, floods and many other disasters with devastating consequences for the entire planet.

Furthermore, as if that were not enough, as many as 8 million tons of plastic are dumped into the sea every year, causing a serious threat to both the quality of the water and the survival of marine species.

What can we do?

Today more than ever, the world needs humanity to wake up to save our planet. Every year thousands of species die due to the lack of human awareness and this has caused almost irreparable damage to large ecosystems and the total extinction of animals and plants.

For this reason, we invite you to participate individually in an active and conscious way to save the habitat of the oceans and all that they represent for the survival of humanity and future generations. Here is a list of things that each of us can do in his own small way:

1. Reduce the use of plastic: Today, plastic represents one of the greatest threats to our seas and oceans, as the accumulation of waste in the waters is the cause of the destruction of marine flora and the loss of thousands of animals.
2. Bet on responsible consumption: choose companies that really care about the protection of the oceans and our environment. For example, at Quoise we take the side of the environment every day. In fact, our sunglasses are made of Econyl, a nylon regenerated from marine plastic waste and plastic recovered from industrial processing waste. And because we want to maintain this virtuous circle, our sunglasses can be regenerated again once they are unwrapped. We also collaborate with Marevivo, a non-profit organization that works to protect the sea and its resources. 
3. Practice responsible tourism: on holiday limit yourself to being mere spectators and do not alter anything you can find in the environment, for example, during diving. A gesture like touching or even uprooting a coral can be terrifying for the ecosystem.
4. Recycle as much as possible: in Italy, our Country; 30 million plastic cans and bottles are still abandoned every day and end up polluting the seas, rivers and nature, even when they are no longer seen. In addition to polluting the environment, plastic generates microplastics or even smaller pieces of this material. Microplastics that even end up in the water without us being able to see them and ingested by the fish that we then consume.
5. Be careful what you throw down the drain: many of the things we throw down the drain end up polluting the seas and carrying the same amount of litter into the water as if we left all the trash on the beach.

Remind that every little contribution is important and will make a difference in living in a better place for everyone.