Why we must protect our oceans

No matter how one looks at it, the ocean is one of the wonders of the earth and a creation that always inspires awe.

Although it covers over 70 per cent of the planet earth, it still does not consume or cover the remaining 30 per cent of the earth where humans reside, in spite of the boisterous nature of the waves that toss every second around the clock.

Even more intriguing is the fact that the oceans sustain the human race, supporting us and every other organism on earth. They are the lungs of the earth and a major source of food and medicine as well as a critical part of the biosphere.

The oceans produce at least 50 per cent of the planet’s oxygen, and home to most of the earth’s biodiversity as well as the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world.

Furthermore, it is estimated that there are millions of living creatures in the sea but only a fraction of them have been identified.

While around 240,000 marine species have been formally described, scientists believe there could be over a million or even 2.2 million species in total, with the uncertainty and discrepancy in the figures said to be as a result of the vastness of the oceans and difficulty in accessing their depth. 

Unfortunately, due to the sea’s vastness, many naively think that any junk or unwanted waste could be discarded into it, thereby polluting the very natural resource that sustains life on earth. Also, its resources have been so over exploited that its benefits to mankind have waned over the years.

In view of that, other than the ocean playing its role of sustaining life on earth, it now needs our support to be able to perform its function.

Available estimates indicate about 90 per cent of big fish populations have been depleted, and 50 per cent of coral reefs have been destroyed, as we are taking more from the oceans than they can be replenished. All of us, therefore, need to work together to create a new balance so that the oceans no longer deplete their bounty but restore their vibrancy and bring them new life.

These challenges with the oceans are what gave birth to the World Oceans Day (WOD) to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the oceans, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the oceans and mobilise and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world's oceans.

First proposed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and formally recognised by the United Nations in 2008, WOD, which is marked every June 8, has become a global observance that highlights the vital role oceans play in supporting life, livelihoods and planetary health.

"Wonder: Sustaining what sustains us" was the theme for World Oceans Day 2025, a year marked by the UN Decade of Ocean Science and the celebration of the World Ocean Conference.

The day celebrated the wonder that the ocean inspires, such as its beauty, its mystery, and its vital role in our lives and on the planet. 

This year’s commemoration was also geared at celebrating the ocean as a source of life that supports humanity and all other organisms on earth, and the need for humanity to sustain this resource so that it continues to sustain life on earth.

The theme was also a reminder that the ocean not only sustains us materially — through food, energy, and trade, but it also inspires, connects and nurtures us.

The focus of the theme was also for policymakers not to lose sight of the ocean’s inherent wonder when making decisions that will shape its future.

In Ghana, most people have taken the availability of the ocean for granted, and those who have not, only see it as a means to ship our goods and meet our protein needs.

However, the ocean does more than that for us and we urge all to stop polluting the see with plastics and other waste as it is adversely affecting marine life.

We also urge our fishers to refrain from overfishing and ask the government to refrain from granting unfettered access to foreign vessels to fish with careless abandon in our waters.

Let us protect and sustain our oceans so that they in turn sustain us.