In sixth grade, we were required to take this federally mandated standardized test in Science class, and our teacher was required to ask a set of questions that asked us about our exposure to nature. One of the questions asked was whether anyone in the class had seen the ocean, and immediately, our whole class burst out laughing. I grew up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, right next to the ocean. The idea that there would be a sixth grader out there who had never even seen the ocean was absurd.
As my teacher smartly reminded our class, however, there are plenty of people around the world and within the United States who do not live by a large body of water, never mind the ocean. Growing up with regular beach cleanups, doing school reports on marine animals, and having easy access to the beach meant that I had come to take my access to the ocean for granted.
A mistake that ocean conservationists often make is forgetting that not everyone has spent their life understanding why it is important to save the oceans and why marine biodiversity matters. I know that I have certainly made the mistake of thinking that everyone grew up with the same education as I had on why it is so important for us not to litter. This post is dedicated to explaining why we need to save the oceans, even if you do not live by the ocean or do not eat seafood, and exactly how we can do that.
Two Basic Facts of Why the Ocean Matters
It’s very easy for many people to simply reduce the ocean conservation movement as something that has no tangible impact on their life. The ridiculousness of drinking out of paper straws that get soggy after one minute frustrates many people who simply want to use plastic straws. It is understandable to feel this way. The fact remains, however, that my life, your life, and the lives of every single human being on this planet relies heavily on the ocean and its health.
The ocean covers 71% of the Earth’s surface and is so vast that the 95% of the ocean remains unexplored. Here are the two basic facts you need to know about why the ocean matters:
- The ocean is integral to the survival of natural life
- The ocean regulates climate change and is a part of the carbon cycle
FUN FACTS YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW:
- Did you know that one third of the world’s population live within 60 miles the coastline? That means approximately 2.4 billion people are directly affected everyday by the changes in the ocean (think tsunamis, flooding, etc.). We can thank the coral reefs for protecting 2.4 billion people every day from the damaging effects of wave action and tropical storms.
- Did you know that key medicinal ingredients, including ingredients that fights cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease, comes from the ocean? Imagine where we would be if we didn’t have access to the medicinal products to fight these diseases.
- Did you also know that 83% of the carbon cycle is circulated through marine waters? The ocean absorbs the carbon dioxide in the air and is directly responsible for reducing the impacts of climate change.
- The rainforest also gets a lot of attention for being the “world’s lungs”, but did you know that the ocean provides half of the oxygen that you breathe? We have phytoplankton and seaweed to thank for that!
The bottom line is that every time you take an action to save the ocean, you are actively helping yourself. It does matter if the ocean is so dirty that coral reefs and phytoplankton can’t survive; our whole world relies on the delicate balance and the important role that the ocean plays.
Why Marine Biodiversity Matters
I have heard a lot of jokes about the sea turtles. The movement to save the sea turtles stemmed from the important role that sea turtles actually play in maintaining the coral reefs and transporting essential nutrients, but the jokes are usually disparaging. “Why don’t the animals just adapt?” is a common phrase I often hear, and I want to address why comments like these are extremely troubling.
We all understand the perils of eating too much fish that contain high levels of mercury, and for those of us who eat seafood, it seems like a no-brainer that the health of the seafood we eat is important. However, for those of us who do not eat seafood, we should care about the sea turtles and other marine animals because they help maintain the balance of the marine ecosystems and help the marine ecosystems to thrive. Without sea turtles maintaining the coral reefs, the coral reefs would not survive, which has a cascading, domino effect that trickles down to humans (remember, coral reefs help protect our coast lines).
Marine animals are also the source of food for other wildlife; imagine what the grizzly bears and otters would do if there was no fish for them to eat!
Wildlife is extremely important to maintaining ecological balance. It is a primitive thought to say that since animals do not do anything for us, they do not play a role in the ecosystem and they are not worthy of our conservation efforts.
7 Actions You Can Take to Save the Ocean
We cannot do it all, and businesses and governments have to step in and do their part if we are truly to save the ocean and the marine ecosystem. However, our actions have power, and we can effect change with our actions. I put together this list of actionable things you can start doing today to help save the ocean.
- RECYCLE PROPERLY so that the we can start cutting down on our production of plastics and stop cutting down trees
- DISPOSE OF YOUR TRASH PROPERLY because when you litter, that trash ends up in the ocean
- USE LESS PLASTIC. Many marine animals ingest the plastic or are injured from it and die. This means avoid plastic straws, plastic Ziploc bags, saran wrap, and plastic grocery bags.
- In the rare times when you still pick up a six-pack that is held together by the plastic rings, CUT THE RINGS OPEN so that it becomes one long string of plastic so that wildlife on land and in the sea are not ensnared by them.
- CONSERVE WATER because excess runoff and wastewater will flow into the ocean, and no one wants to be eating seafood that has been marinating in your filth.
- EAT SEAFOOD RESPONSIBLY because there are a lot of fish that are endangered due to overfishing, and I’d rather never eat that fish again than see that fish extinct. ALWAYS CHECK HOW YOUR FOOD IS BEING SOURCED
- SHOP CONSCIOUSLY because sustainable fashion is important, and clothing production often times means dumping dirty water directly into the rivers, and all rivers end up flowing into the ocean (not to mention, fresh water is stored in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, so why poison your own drinking water?)
We have a lot to do, but we are in this together. I know that it’s tough to make changes to your lifestyle based on something that you can’t even see, but it is more important than ever to start minding how we are treating the ocean and learning how we can take actions that will directly lead to marine life conservation. I am still learning and growing, and I’m right alongside you in this journey. Leave a comment down below with any questions you have or anything that you’re doing to help save our oceans!
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