The existential challenges of reversing that cycle have now become one of humanity's greatest imperatives. This is but one of many shameful human activities that have pushed the Ocean into its cycle of decline. If current trends continue, by 2050 there will be more plastic in the Ocean than fish. To accept the veracity of this statement, one need only consider the fact that we dump the equivalent of a large garbage truck of plastic waste into the Ocean every minute of every day. Since the integrity of the Ocean's precious ecosystem is essential for humanity's survival, logic would dictate that we should steward its welfare with utmost diligence.
Billions of people rely on it for their livelihoods, food security and cultural identity. Home to nearly 200,000 identified species, with actual numbers estimated to lie in the millions, the Ocean is a massive reservoir of biodiversity. More than 50 per cent of the oxygen we breathe comes from the Ocean. Its health is crucial to humanity's well being thus the time has come for us all to recognize that increasing human activity has placed the Ocean in jeopardy.Ĭovering three quarters of the Earth's surface and containing 97 per cent of the planet's water, the Ocean drives global weather patterns, absorbs around 30 per cent of human-produced carbon dioxide and serves as a critical buffer to the ever-worsening impacts of global warming. With the bounty of its resources, limitless energy and indispensable trade routes, it is the lifeblood of our planet. The Conference is quite possibly the best and last real opportunity for the world to come together to take the comprehensive measures required to reverse the decline in the Ocean's health. This perspective leads me to the Ocean Conference, to be held at the United Nations in New York from 5 to 9 June 2017. This article expands on that SIDS perspective, presenting a universal picture of the state of the Ocean and demonstrating that its current woes ultimately affect us all, from the island nations to landlocked countries and continental States. In writing about those challenges, I underlined the fact that they were not unique to my country, but common to all SIDS. L, No.1, April 2013), I provided a contemporary perspective from Fiji, a small island developing State (SIDS), highlighting the environmental and climatic challenges to ensuring the sustainable management of the Ocean's resources. In a previous contribution to this magazine ( UN Chronicle Vol. Fishermen replenished the market with their catch beside fisherwomen selling coconut-leaf bags of shellfish and edible seaweed. Spawned by the Ocean, puffy cumulus clouds propelled by the trade winds brought us the fresh afternoon rain that filled our water tanks. In the Fiji of my childhood, the bounty of life-forms surrounded you every time you swam in its waters.
Having been born and raised in Fiji, from my earliest childhood I observed the Ocean's status as the ultimate life-giver. If we are to ensure a bountiful planet for ourselves and for future generations, the time for action is upon us.Īn islander is defined by the Ocean. If the cycle of decline, in which it is currently caught, is allowed to continue, the deleterious impacts on the life-forms dwelling in, above and next to the Ocean may well become irreversible.Īll life on this planet ultimately depends on a healthy Ocean, thus stopping its deterioration is one of the most important challenges of our era.