On 8 June each year the United Nations promotes the celebration of World Oceans Day with the aim of encouraging us to conserve and sustainably use oceans, seas and marine resources.  This year the theme is Our Oceans, Our Future and the first ever Ocean Conference will be held, which will be a unique opportunity for the world to reverse the decline in the health of our oceans and seas with specific solutions. 

Medclic: the Mediterranean in one click away works on creating awareness about our oceans through observation and exploration of the Mediterranean sea, which is a small-scale oceanic system.  This commitment places us within the framework of Goal 14, "Conserve and sustainably use oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development" which is included within the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) set at a historical United Nations summit attended by world leaders in September 2015 and which came into force in January 2016. 

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE "HEALTHY OCEANS, HEALTHY PLANET" INFOGRAPH here.

As on other occasions at MEDCLIC we stress the need to accomplish this goal and we are adding our voice to the celebration of World Oceans Day with the HEALTHY OCEANS, HEALTHY PLANET infographic.  This sums up the role of oceans in conserving the planet and how that role has an influence on human beings.

This year we are also joining in the “Message in a bottle” challenge, which falls within the framework of the Sea Change project spearheaded by Submon.  This is a way to boost collaboration between educational bodies and schools working on changing our relationship with the ocean.

Why do we celebrate World Oceans Day

1. To remind ourselves that oceans play a crucial role in our lives.  They are the lungs of our planet.
2. To spread the word to the general public about the consequences of human activity on our oceans.
3. To kick-start a worldwide movement of people supporting the oceans.
4. To mobilise and unite people all around the world with the goal of sustainable ocean management since our oceans are a major source of food and medicines.
5. To celebrate the beauty, richness and potential of our oceans together.

Why are oceans important, and why is the Mediterranean Sea researched to get to know more about all of them?

Oceans are a fundamental pillar of life on our planet.  They produce the oxygen we breathe, they absorb the greater part of carbon emissions, they regulate the climate, they are home to a myriad of life forms and they are the ideal place for many activities - business, tourism and leisure activities, etc.  Nevertheless, human pressure, such as overfishing, marine contamination and ocean acidification, causes a real, visible decline in our oceans and seas.

Oceans are also a complex, global system, interconnecting oceans and atmosphere and coasts, in a state of continuous change and interaction.  In order to understand these interactions and their implications in greater depth MEDCLIC encompasses scientific research and outreach, with both projects being related to ICTS SOCIB's scientific, technological and outreach standpoints.  Taking into account that the Mediterranean is a small-scale oceanic model, MEDCLIC contributes to research about the role of oceans as a whole in the planet's survival.

6 things we can do to improve our oceans and our future​

We invite you to follow these small everyday initiatives to prevent further contamination of our seas and oceans:
1. Use less plastics.  Taking your own bags to the supermarket is a huge help, as is using reusable bottles and thermos flasks for liquids instead of plastic bottles.
2. Use sun creams and tanning lotions that biodegrade in the water so no harm is caused to marine life.
3. Don't buy products which affect the life of our seas and oceans, such as accessories made using turtles, sharks, coral and sea shells, etc.
4. Reduce CO2 emissions.  You can reduce your consumption by using low energy light bulbs, using public transport for short journeys and car sharing, etc.
5. Avoid eating juvenile fish and any fish or seafood caught using fishing techniques such as trawling.  If in doubt, do not buy unlabelled fish.
6. Go one step further and help beach cleaning, whether this is organised locally or whether you simply collect any rubbish you may find during your day on the beach, so that it does not go back into the sea.