Every year, June 8 is celebrated as World Oceans Day and aims at protection of the ocean and the sustainable management of its resources. The day also supports the enactment of worldwide Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations General Assembly. The proposal was put forward in 1992 by Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development and the Ocean Institute of Canada at the Earth Summit but official recognition to the day was given in 2008.
World Oceans Day 2024 Upcoming Events
Below mentioned are the upcoming dates for World Oceans Day for the next 5 years.
| Event | Date | Day |
| World Oceans Day 2024 | June 08, 2024 | Saturday |
| World Oceans Day 2025 | June 08, 2025 | Sunday |
| World Oceans Day 2026 | June 08, 2026 | Monday |
| World Oceans Day 2027 | June 08, 2027 | Tuesday |
World Oceans Day Overview
| Event | World Oceans Day 2024 |
| Date | June 08, 2024 |
| Day | Saturday |
| Declared by | United Nations |
| Purpose | To focus on the importance of oceans and the need to protect them. |
Significance of World Oceans Day
We may not recognize it so often but there are billions of people who depend on ocean as their source of protein and millions other whose livelihood is based on oceans such as fisheries, tourism, trade, etc. Oceans also play a major role in maintaining global climate by supplying half the oxygen we breathe and absorbs a third of the carbon dioxide we produce. So, it becomes our responsibility that we maintain the health and sustainability of the oceans by protecting them from pollution or climate change. The World Oceans Day signifies the inter-dependability of human and ocean and the need to protect the same.
Check special days in June
World Oceans Day History
The World Commission on Environment and Development, or Brundtland Commission, in its 1987 Brundtland Report stated the importance of ocean sector and how it is considered less important as compared to other sectors. In 1992, many intergovernmental and NGO came together and put the significance of ocean from the sidelines to the center. In 2004, “Help Make a Difference for our Ocean Planet!” petition was launched by the Ocean Project and World Ocean Network for the United Nations to officially recognize 8 June as World Ocean Day. In December 2008, a Declaration was finally passed by the UN General Assembly to officially recognize the day.
World Oceans Day 2024 Theme & Celebration
2024 Theme: Catalyzing Action for Our Ocean & Climate
The theme for World Oceans Day celebration last year was “Planet Ocean: Tides are Changing”. A hybrid celebration occurred which was hosted in-person at the United Nations Headquarters in New York and was broadcasted live. Many leaders, celebrities, institutional partners, community voices, entrepreneurs, and cross-industry experts take part in the celebration and encourage people towards protecting the oceans.
Quotes
Here are some famous quotes in the importance of protecting the oceans.
“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.” – Jacques Cousteau
“The beauty and mystery of the ocean fills our lives with wonders, vast beyond our imagination.” – M. L. Borges
“Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.” – William Arthur Ward
“Those who live by the sea can hardly form a single thought of which the sea would not be part.” – Hermann Broch
“The human desire to obtain more is a sieve that can never be filled with all the water from the world’s oceans.” – Will Bowen
“We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.” – Mother Teresa.
“We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch, we are going back from whence we came.” – John F. Kennedy
“You can either see yourself as a wave in the ocean or you can see yourself as the ocean”. – Oprah Winfrey
FAQs
What can be done to protect the oceans?
Around 60 to 90 per cent of garbage that goes into the ocean is made up of different plastics polymers. Recycling can help prevent plastic pollution which is a major cause of ocean’s destruction.
Among problems like political tensions, economic problems, diseases and conflicts, why ocean protection is of such importance?
Ocean plays an important role in human’s livelihood, is major source of protein for healthy body and also helps govern the climate change. For a better earth and its future, it is important to protect ocean.
What is the official purpose of observing World Oceans Day 2024?
The official designation of World Oceans Day is an opportunity to raise global awareness of the current challenges faced by the international community in connection with the oceans.
