NEW YORK, JUNE 8 – On World Oceans Day, the Italian mission to the UN joined efforts with the Ngo Marevivo to protect “life below water” from the threats of human action as prescribed by Goal 14 for sustainable development. The theme for this year World Oceans Day is Revitalization, “collective actions for the oceans”. “Let’s commit to working together with nature and ensuring a healthy and productive ocean for future generations”, wrote Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Twitter, recalling that, growing up in Lisbon, he developed a special relationship with the sea: “It pains me how ocean resources and biodiversity are being destroyed by human activities”.
“The sea produces more than 50% of the oxygen we breathe, absorbs a third of the carbon dioxide we produce, is the great climate regulator. The water cycle begins with evaporation in mini particles that become clouds and rain, then enter the earth and become springs, rivers, lakes, the immense arteries of our Planet”, said Marevivo on the day when millions of people around the world come together to celebrate “the ocean that unites all, carrying out concrete actions for its protection. But this place is in danger”, warns the Italian non-profit organization.
Many other initiatives had been organized for the World Day in Italy: the Ministry for Ecological Transition announced that the Mediterranean is a candidate to become a SECA zone, a large area where sulphur emissions from shipping are strongly reduced. In Venice, again at the initiative of Marevivo, the photographic exhibition ‘The Living Sea’ hosted by the Museum of Natural History Giancarlo Ligabue aims to raise awareness on the unique heritage represented by the sea and its creatures, and at the same time on its essential function for human life. Photos by Hussein Aga Khan and videos by Simone Piccoli focus on the underwater world of Tonga, Mexico and Egypt.
The defence of oceans has found a testimonial in the outer space as well: “Let’s do all we can to protect and restore our oceans’ ecosystems!”, ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti appealed through her social media profiles by posting some stunning images of oceans photographed by the International Space Station: “Our planet’s oceans – immense beauty and a largely unexplored frontier, teeming with life, home to much of Earth’s biodiversity”. (@OnuItalia)
