Why is it important to protect our oceans?
The air we breathe: The ocean produces over half of the world’s oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere. Climate regulation: Covering 70 percent of the Earth’s surface, the ocean transports heat from the equator to the poles, regulating our climate and weather patterns.
How many fish will be in the ocean in 2050?
By 2050, plastic in the oceans will outweigh fish, predicts a report from the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, in partnership with the World Economic Forum. The report projects the oceans will contain at least 937 million tons of plastic and 895 million tons of fish by 2050.
How many fish are extinct?
As of September 2016, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists 65 extinct fish species, 87 possibly extinct fish species, and six extinct in the wild fish species.
How many years until the ocean dies?
The Great Barrier Reef will be over within 20 years or so.” According to Veron, “Once carbon dioxide hits the levels predicted for between 2030 and 2060, all the world’s coral reefs will be doomed to extinction… They would be the world’s first global ecosystem to collapse.
What is the rarest fish in the world?
Devils Hole pupfish
How long until all the fish are gone?
The world’s stocks of seafood will have collapsed by 2050 at present rates of destruction by fishing, scientists said yesterday. A four-year study of 7,800 marine species around the world’s ecosystems has concluded that the long-term trend is clear and predictable.
Why do we need to protect the marine environment?
Marine protected areas help protect important habitats and representative samples of marine life and can assist in restoring the productivity of the oceans and avoid further degradation. They are also sites for scientific study and can generate income through tourism and sustainable fishing.
Are the oceans dying?
“Global warming, combined with the negative impacts of numerous other human activities, is devastating our ocean, with alarming declines in fish stocks, the death of our reefs, and sea level rise that could displace hundreds of millions of people.”