IgweOGB:
By Igwe Ogbonnaya (OGB)
_09035044490_

The word celebrate the importance of ocean on 8th June annually.We celebrate World Oceans Day to remind everyone of the major role the oceans have in everyday life. They are not mere water bodies,they're the source of life on Earth. They are the lungs of our planet, providing most of the oxygen we breathe. In the end, it is a day to celebrate together the beauty, the wealth and the promise of the ocean. This year 2020 world oceans day, comes with the theme; *_Innovation for a sustainable Ocean_*,for 2020 World Oceans Day is growing the global movement to call on world leaders to protect 30% of our blue planet by 2030. This critical need is called 30x30. By safeguarding at least 30% of our ocean through a network of highly protected areas we can help ensure a healthy home for all.

From the World Oceans Day website, the holiday aims to join together people from all over the planet to honor the ocean, "which connects us all." The holiday aims to spread awareness as to how we can protect the ocean. As the website explains, healthy oceans are critical to a healthy planet and to healthy people, because oceans do so much more for us than we realize. Oceans produce oxygen for us to breathe, regulate our climate, clean the water we drink, provide ingredients for medicines, and more.

Every year, between 4.8 and 12.7 million tons of plastic enter the ocean, according to the journal Science. And where does that plastic come from? Humans, of course. And litter isn't the only plastic trash that winds up in the ocean. Garbage from landfills, trash cans, microfibers, and more is blown into oceans on a daily basis. Fish and other marine animals mistake the plastic for food and they eat it — and sometimes, it even kills them. And then, humans eat fish from the ocean — and those bodies often have microplastics in them, meaning humans are eating plastic. Some experts believe that if we keep going at the current rate, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050.

To make sure that doesn't happen, it's important to spread awareness on how we can protect our oceans.

There are ways by which we can preserve and protect the ocean to ensure we get enough from the oceans in the protection of the earth against hash climate change. These are;

*Taking out Trash*
One of the most direct ways we can keep plastic out of our oceans is by participating in a trash cleanup. Some people may be hosting organized cleanups on weekends in honor of World Oceans Day — but if you can't find one, get to it on your own. Head out in your neighborhood — or even better, onto a local beach — with a bag and a pair of gloves, and save trash from entering our oceans. You can even get some cardio in at the same time.

*Use less of plastics*
We've said it before, and we'll say it again: Reduce, reduce, reduce! Green Matters is filled with tips on reducing plastic while grocery shopping, clothes shopping, in the bathroom, and on what to do with plastic you already have.
Industries should promote use of paper bags for their packages.

*Reduce Fish Hunt*
Commercial fisheries are overfishing (which is catching too many fish and other marine animals at once, making populations too depleted to fully recover, according to EDF), and it's contributing to the climate crisis. According to a study published in the journal Science earlier this year, the global fish population has depleted by 4.1 percent since 1930 — and based on the amount of fish humans eat, that's only going to grow. Unfortunately for seafood lovers, sustainable seafood is a bit of a myth.

So if you eat fish and also care about the planet, it's important to learn how the fish you eat get from the ocean and to your belly — and to look into other dining options that do not hurt animals or the ocean.

*Involve Policy makers and Companies*
If there are oceans or other water bodies surrounding your town or your state, there are probably laws governing them. Write to your local politicians and ask them to prioritize creating and supporting laws that will protect our oceans, as well as laws that ban or limit single-use plastic.

Similarly, we need write to companies we love that either sell items packaged in single-use plastic, sell single-use plastic items, sell fish as food, or have other business practices that could harm the ocean, and ask them to consider alternatives. These companies exist to supply human demand — so if enough people demand more ethical practices, they will come.

*Learn about Oceans*
Take some time out today to learn about the various ways we are polluting the oceans. There are so many documentaries about the world's oceans — and many of them are on Netflix and other channels like Blue Planet, Blue Planet II, A Plastic Ocean, Life in the Blue, and Chasing Coral. When you know about oceans, you'll be able to understand the importance and how to care about them.

*REMINDER :* Oceans produce more than half the world's oxygen and stores 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere. So when there is no water,there will be no life.


Igwe Ogbonnaya (OGB)
_Climate Change Ambassador_
09035044490