The Human Rights for Development Alliance joins the rest people in the world, including governments, intergovernmental organizations, Indigenous and minority communities and other civil society organizations to celebrate this year’s World Ocean Day on June 8, 2021.
Coming on the heels of the just celebrated World Environment Day, it clearly demonstrates the deepening concern that the global community is showing towards protecting our ecosystem, in this case, the marine ecosystem.
Undoubtedly, Oceans form an essential part of the web of life and sustains a greater percentage of life’s biodiversity and livelihoods.
It is regrettable that in recent years, the activities of man are destroying our oceans and other water bodies with i’s vast biodiversity, which had been the provider of livelihoods and nutrition for people across many generations.
Today, the pollution of streams, rivers, seas and oceans has imperiled the local livelihoods of fishing and impacted negatively on nutrition with its huge effect on life itself.
Besides, international trade with shipping and dumping of wastes in oceans have aided the accelerated destruction of our oceans.
It is on this note that we welcome this year’s World Ocean Day celebration with the theme focusing on life and livelihoods.
We urge government to seize the opportunity to renew their commitment to protect our oceans, particularly here in the Niger Delta, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean and where offshore drilling of crude oil has its negative impacts.
We also call on members of the civil society and communities, particularly those living around the oceans, to be conscious of their activities that harm the oceans, like plastic pollution and dumping of all kinds of wastes in canals, lagoons, streams, rivers and creeks, seas and oceans.
Let’s join hands to keep our oceans resourceful.
Signed
Comrade Legborsi Saro Pyagbara, Convener
Stella Amanie, Society for Women and Youth Affairs
Nelly Umorem, Kebetkache
Anthony Aalo, Kallop Humanitarian and Environmental Centre
pollution of rivers, a threat to theoceans