The significance of the annual World Ocean Day

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Every year on June 8 since 1992, World Ocean Day increases awareness of the importance of Earth's oceans, which make up 70 percent of the planet's entire surface.

Transcript

00:00World Ocean Day every year since 1992.

00:03June 8th has been devoted to protecting what covers

00:0670 percent of our oceans.

00:09Dr. Lisa Hoops is Senior Director of

00:12Research and Conservation for the Georgia Aquarium,

00:15the largest aquarium in the US.

00:18Dr. Hoops, what is the significance of World Ocean Day?

00:21What's the origin and what's the mission?

00:24Well, good morning and thanks for having me.

00:27I'm here to talk about something that's

00:29near and dear to my own heart.

00:31So thank you.

00:32As you just mentioned, the oceans

00:34cover more than 70 percent of the surface of our planet.

00:38They're really vital to regulating

00:40our weather and our climate, providing the air we breathe,

00:43and they're a key part of our water cycle.

00:45Oceans provide jobs, livelihoods.

00:48They help feed us.

00:49So we really need a healthy ocean in order

00:52to survive on planet Earth.

00:55World Ocean Day really celebrates our planet's oceans

00:59and catalyzes collective action toward a healthy ocean.

01:04So we're really here to spread the word

01:06and bring as many people along with us on this journey.

01:10Well, what dangers and threats are oceans facing

01:12and what can we do to protect the oceans?

01:16Yeah, we've got quite a few challenges ahead of us

01:19when we think about how we get to and maintain healthy oceans.

01:23We're battling things like climate change and overfishing,

01:26pollution, ocean noise, vessel strikes, ecosystem loss,

01:32oil spills.

01:32So those really feel like big challenges

01:36that we need to work toward and get better at managing.

01:40And how do you all at the Georgia Aquarium

01:42simulate ocean environments and educate those who visit?

01:45Well, thank you.

01:46I think Georgia Aquarium is really

01:48a place that captures the hearts and minds of our guests.

01:52We hope to inspire them to make small changes

01:55in their everyday life that can really

01:57have a big impact on our oceans and the animals that

02:01inhabit them.

02:02We do this by sharing some messages of hope

02:05and sharing some of the research and conservation

02:07efforts that we're involved in that we really

02:10hope inspire our guests to make small actions

02:14in their own lives that can help protect our oceans.

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