Tag: oceans

Artwork by Maximus Sanchez Francis

By Liyah Emeson, 13, UK

The SDG 14 (Sustainable Development Goal 14) is about ‘Life under Water’. The goal is “to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.” In other words, this means that they aim to protect water bodies and to use marine resources in a way that as the world continues to develop, the resources will not be depleted.

The Earth is a beautiful planet with different biomes and species of life. There’s wonderful marine life in the oceans and seas. However, some of these incredible species are becoming endangered due human causes like pollution, overfishing and many more. As a planet, we need to make an effort to preserve aquatic life and, fortunately, there are many ways to do this effectively. Let’s focus on marine pollution.

Marine pollution happens when chemicals and rubbish enter the oceans due to human activities. This pollution is very harmful as it can result in damage to the environment, which affects the health of all living organisms (including humans!) and economic structures across the world.

Marine pollution can be reduced by taking care of beaches and minding our carbon footprints. Simple things like reducing litter at the beach and using fuels that release less carbon can positively impact our waters making it a safe place for aquatic life to live and thrive in.

Nonetheless, marine pollution isn’t the only problem affecting life under water. There are many other factors that affect the oceans and we need to collectively continue to raise awareness of them in order to protect the safety of our waters and ourselves.