World Oceans Day 2018: This Year’s Theme, Celebration and Everything You Need To Know

World Oceans Day 2018: It is observed to highlight major role of the oceans in everyday life.

June 8 is celebrated as World Oceans Day to raise awareness of the vital importance of our oceans and the role they play in sustaining a healthy planet. It brings people and organisations together across the globe in a series of events highlighting how we can all help protect and converse the oceans. It is celebrated to remind everyone of the major role the oceans have in everyday life. They are the lungs of our planet, providing most of the oxygen we breathe.

The United Nations General Assembly through its resolution 63/111 of December 5, 2008 designated June 8 as the World Oceans Day. The concept of a ‘World Oceans Day’ was first proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro as a way to celebrate world’s shared ocean and to raise awareness about the crucial role the ocean plays in our lives. Youth participation has also played an increasingly key role – with the introduction of a World Oceans Day Youth Advisory Council in 2016.

What is the theme?

This year’s theme for World Oceans Day will be preventing plastic pollution and encouraging solutions for a healthy ocean. The theme is prompted by the disastrous amount of plastic that is ending up in our oceans. Eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean each year, causing £8billion in damage to marine ecosystems each year.

How is it celebrated?

World Oceans Day is celebrated through the launching of new campaigns and initiatives, special events at aquariums and zoos, outdoor explorations and aquatic and beach cleanups. There are also educational and conservation action programs, art contests, film festivals, and sustainable seafood events, from Hawaii to Islamabad. Netizens are also encouraged to use the hastages #WorldOceansDay and #SaveOurOcean to spread the word on cleaning up our oceans.