World Oceans Day

Today marks an important day especially in this era of COVID19, it’s World Oceans Day. Nature has had enough of our human destructive behaviour and has given us a temporary time to pause and reflect on our priorities in life while being locked up at home. In light of this important day that is being celebrated worldwide, I have been given the honour by Françoise Salameh through being featured on her program “Unspoken and Untold Stories” to discuss the situation of coral reefs in the #Arabian Gulf Sea, how we as individuals can contribute towards helping our oceans. I shed some light on my PhD research on carbonate budgets and the need for action in the Gulf. Tune into her IG TV that can be accessed through her instagram account (@unspoken.untoldstories)

Why are oceans important? Life is said to have originated from the depth of the oceans. Oceans are the lungs of the earth generating ~70% of the oxygen we breathe and covering most of the planet giving us the name – the blue planet. Over 2.4 billion people (40% of the world population) live within a 100 km (60 miles) of the coast some of which depend on the ocean for their livelihoods. Oceans host so many fascinating and essential organisms that contribute to our human existence. This world oceans day we should make an extra effort to help protect our oceans even if it’s just by signing a marine related petition that addresses an important issue in our local area or globally!

Take a moment to re-evaluate your life and ask yourself what ethics do you want to live by and how can you contribute towards creating a future where our oceans are healthy enabling us to live a healthy life.