AbibiNsroma Foundation observes World Ocean Day 2024: Celebrating the lifeblood of our planet

World Ocean Day, celebrated annually on June 8, highlights the importance of our oceans and the critical role they play in sustaining life on Earth. This day serves as a reminder of the vast and intricate ecosystems that thrive beneath the waves and the urgent need to protect them.

At every corner of the earth, the impact of stories about climate change unfolds. Rising sea levels, adverse temperatures, flooding, drought, shrinking of rivers, and unpredictable seasons in parts of the world have become a huge worry, threatening the lives and safety of citizens.

The oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface and are home to an incredible diversity of life. They regulate the climate, produce oxygen, and provide food and livelihoods for billions of people. However, our oceans are facing unprecedented threats from pollution, overfishing, climate change, and habitat destruction.

Common activities on World Ocean Day include:

Beach Cleanups: Volunteers gather to remove trash and debris from coastlines, helping to protect marine life and improve the health of the oceans.

Educational Workshops: Schools and organizations host workshops and seminars to educate people about marine conservation and the importance of sustainable practices.

Art and Music Festivals: Creative events celebrate the beauty of the oceans and raise awareness about the need to protect them.

Policy Advocacy: Campaigns and petitions urge governments to implement stronger protections for marine environments and to support sustainable fishing.

Some challenges the AbibiNsroma Foundation has identified are:

Overfishing, illegal fishing methods, increasing ocean plastics, and dumping of toxic materials are affecting the sea culture and biodiversity, which affects livelihood and sustainable development.

The world must speak less with slogans and arise with fresh, results-oriented actions. If our actions fail us, then we have never lived responsibly.

If water is indeed life, then we must think and live right. Searching and mining for gold while destroying water resources makes us less of a thinking society. If illegal mining renders our water resources polluted and poisoned, can we drink gold?

The decisions and actions of citizens are attributed to these threatening happenings, as told by scientists, yet heads of government and citizens have little or nothing to demonstrate to demonstrate stronger commitments to reflect in gross positive results.

Protecting our ocean requires all-inclusive action.

Reduce Plastic Use: Single-use plastics are a major pollutant. overfishing and bycatch.

We need to support government efforts through collective action to apply stiffer punitive measures.

Create more sustainable jobs.

Rapid urbanization, overpopulation, and poor spatial plans in developing areas with inefficient land usage need critical attention.

Enforce laws on the encroachment of reserved land spaces around water bodies.

AbibiNsroma Foundation (ANF) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization committed to identifying, promoting, and empowering the grassroots to develop innovative solutions for the developmental challenges in Ghana and Africa.

Through capacity building, training, research, advocacy, and community development in the areas of energy, climate change, environment, natural resources, education, health, and agriculture, as well as water, sanitation, and hygiene, we can enhance sustainable development in Ghana and Africa as a whole.