Today is World Oceans Day 2024

The United Nations World Ocean Day is celebrated each year on June 8 to promote conservation efforts, highlight the impact of human activities, and encourage collective action to protect marine ecosystems for future generations.

Exceptionally, the event was held yesterday, June 7, at the United Nations headquarters in New York city under the theme “Awaken New Depths”, and the full event was livestreamed and available on youtube.

According to World Oceans Day it “catalyzes collective action for a healthy ocean and a stable climate, working in collaboration with youth leaders and a wide range of organizations.”

Key Facts About the World’s Oceans

The World Oceans website highlights the following information about the world’s oceans:

• The ocean covers over 70% of the planet.
• It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth.
• The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world.
• The ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.
• 90% of big fish populations are depleted, 50% of coral reefs destroyed, and we are taking more from the ocean than can be replenished.

Join the Annual Event

Global actors are encouraged each year to hold events in honor of World Oceans Day to share information about the importance of healthy oceans for our global ecosystem, and may register and share these events via social media.

This past year, Greece highlighted the role of the world’s oceans through the organization of the 9th Our Oceans Conference, which was hosted by the Greek government, in collaboration with the US State Department.