World Oceans Day
Next: June 8, 2027
Every other breath comes from the sea.
The story
Where it comes from
World Oceans Day was first proposed in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Canada's International Centre for Ocean Development and the Oceans Institute of Canada launched it on 8 June that year at the Global Forum, the summit's gathering for civil society, with an event called 'Oceans Day at Global Forum: The Blue Planet'. Many countries kept the day from then on. On 5 December 2008 the UN General Assembly, led by Canada, designated 8 June World Oceans Day in resolution 63/111, and the UN first observed it in 2009.
How it's celebrated
The UN marks the day with a programme run by its Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, together with the non-profit Oceanic Global, celebrating the ocean as a source of life. The aim is to show how human actions affect the ocean and to build a worldwide movement of people who care for it. Near the coast that might mean a beach clean-up; anywhere, it can mean choosing sustainable seafood or less single-use plastic.
Did you know
- The ocean covers more than 70 per cent of the planet and produces at least half of its oxygen.
- It absorbs about 30 per cent of the carbon dioxide produced by humans.
- It is the main source of protein for more than a billion people.
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