World Ocean Day is celebrated every year on June 8, it was officially proclaimed by the United Nations in 2008, and this year's theme is "One ocean, one climate, one future - together". Although the celebration of World Ocean Day was proposed in 1992 at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, only the official decision of the UN General Assembly to mark World Ocean Day in 2008 launched a series of actions to protect the sea and oceans around the world.
As interconnected bodies of water on the Earth's surface, the oceans connect all people, and precisely because of human activity, they are increasingly endangered. The oceans are most threatened by industrial waste, for which only humans are responsible.
According to UNESCO, the oceans are the lungs of the Earth, and at the same time they are an irreplaceable source of water and food and important for the totality and maintenance of life on the planet. According to the European Union's Biodiversity Strategy until 2030, the goal is to protect at least 30% of the EU's marine areas, or 10% strictly, because healthy oceans are a prerequisite for resolving the climate crisis.
On World Ocean Day, the public is made aware of the impact of human action on the seas and oceans, also they are called for more active involvement in the global ocean protection movement, as well as mobilizes in projects for sustainable management of the world's oceans.
Translated by: Andrea Božić