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INTENTION : |
That politicians, scientists and economists work together to protect the world's seas and oceans.
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WHY PROTECT OUR OCEANS?
People need air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, new medicines, a climate we can live in, beauty, inspiration and recreation. We need to know that we belong to something bigger than ourselves. We want a better future for those we care about. To survive and prosper, we need healthy oceans.
The ocean is the largest ecosystem on Earth, it is the planet's life support system. Oceans generate half of the oxygen we breathe and, at any given moment, they contain more than 97 percent of the world's water. Oceans provide at least a sixth of the animal protein people eat. Living oceans absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce climate change impacts. The diversity and productivity of the world's oceans is a vital interest for humankind. Our security, our economy, our very survival all require healthy oceans.
So when Marine Conservation Institute works to improve marine protection through the Global Ocean Refuge System, maps the deep sea, advocates for California's seamounts, tracks conservation progress in the Atlas of Marine Protection and defends our blue parks, we are working to save the ocean for all of us and future generations.
Whether you live on the coast or far from it, whether you eat seafood or not, you and the future of all those you love depends on healthy oceans. Become an Ocean Guardian or make a donation to support our work for our incredible oceans.
Marine Conservation Institute
https://marine-conservation.org/
Protecting Our Oceans
Campaigning to end ocean exploitation and ensure a healthy ocean future
Healthy oceans are the life support system for our planet, providing 97 percent of the Earth's livable habitat and a home to more than 700,000 species. The oceans are vital to human health as well, providing jobs, enjoyment and food to billions of people. Half of the oxygen we breathe is generated by our oceans.
End Plastic Pollution!
Our oceans are in more trouble than ever before.
Right now it is estimated that up to 12 million metric tons of plastic - everything from plastic bottles and bags to microbeads - ends up in our oceans each year. That's a truckload of trash every minute.
Travelling on ocean currents, this plastic is now turning up in every corner of our planet, from Florida beaches to uninhabited Pacific islands. It is even being found trapped in Arctic ice.
Our oceans are slowly turning into a plastic soup, and the effects on ocean life are chilling. Discarded plastic fishing lines trap and entangle turtles and seabirds, and plastic pieces of all sizes choke and clog the stomachs of creatures who mistake it for food, from tiny zooplankton to whales. Plastic is now entering every level of the ocean food chain and is even ending up in the seafood on our plates.
But it doesn't have to be this way. That's why we are campaigning to end the flow of plastic into our oceans.
We are calling on big corporations to act to reduce their plastic footprint - and stop producing plastic packaging that is designed to be used once then thrown away.
We're also working hard to address other serious threats facing our oceans. Unsustainable industrial fishing is destroying habitats and endangering countless species. Climate change and ocean acidification - both the result of our reliance on fossil fuels - are having more and more extreme impacts on ocean health.
Scientists say the wave of extinction facing the ocean in the coming century could be the worst since the dinosaur age. If we don't change the way we do things, and fast, we are on track to cause irreversible damage to the ocean and the collapse of some of the most important food sources in the world.
Fortunately, if we work together we are within reach of a world that respects our oceans, their inhabitants and the people who depend on them.
Join the Struggle to Defend Our Oceans
We see a world that is safe and healthy with vibrant oceans.
That's why we are campaigning to end the flow of plastic into our oceans. Recycling alone is simply never going to solve this problem - we need to prevent it at its source. Corporations have created a global crisis that must be met with a fundamental shift in how the industry brings its products to people.
That's why we are calling on big corporations to act now and reduce their plastic footprint - they are at the heart of this mess and can no longer get a free pass. They must stop producing excessive plastic packaging that is designed to be used once then thrown away.
We're also working to protect the oceans through a network of sanctuaries. Globally, less than 2 percent of the ocean is under protection. We're campaigning to establish ocean sanctuaries in 30 percent of the world's oceans by 2030.
These sanctuaries will preserve biodiversity, help endangered species recover, and give marine life a fighting chance to survive the rapid changes we are causing to the planet. Ocean sanctuaries can also help replenish fish populations decimated by overfishing, meaning a more dependable food supply for the billions of people who get some of their protein from seafood.
The way we treat the rest of our ocean - under protection or not - is just as important. Today, overfishing is the status quo, bycatch kills about 63 billion pounds of marine animals every year, and human activity is disrupting the balance of marine ecosystems across the globe. The impacts on humans are equally severe. Overfishing compromises food security and the livelihoods of fishing communities. Human trafficking and forced labor remain huge problems on many fishing fleets. The US is the third largest seafood consumer in the world, giving each of us the power to influence global fisheries. If you buy seafood, make sure to ask questions about how it was caught and urge supermarkets and restaurants to ensure their seafood is ethical and sustainable.
We want a better future for our oceans and the people that depend on them. You do, too? Awesome! Check out the resources below to learn more about our campaign to the protect the oceans and ways you can get involved!
Protecting Our Oceans - Greenpeace USA
https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/oceans/
The Ocean is not a dumping ground for plastics
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Oil spills aren't the big(gest) problem.
Headline-grabbing oil spills account for just 12 percent of the oil in our oceans. Three times as much oil is carried out to sea via runoff from our roads, rivers and drainpipes.
- More plastic than fish.
Eight million metric tons: That's how much plastic we dump into the oceans each year. That's about 17.6 billion pounds - or the equivalent of nearly 57,000 blue whales - every single year. By 2050, ocean plastic will outweigh all of the ocean's fish.
- 5 garbage patches.
There's so much junk at sea, the debris has formed giant garbage patches. There are five of them around the world, and the largest - the Great Pacific Garbage Patch - includes an estimated 1.8 trillion pieces of trash.
- Plastic poses a double danger.
Ocean trash can be broken into smaller pieces - known as microplastic - by sun exposure and wave action, after which it can find its way into the food chain. When it eventually degrades (which takes 400 years for most plastic), the process releases chemicals that further contaminate the sea.
Conservation International
https://www.conservation.org/stories/ocean-pollution-11-facts-you-need-to-know
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