Op-Ed: To save the Earth, think like a ‘blue water’ sailor
By the end of the year, the oceans could be nearly three feet thicker than they were in the beginning of 2017, thanks to a host of new and emerging trends in environmental research, according to new research from the Global Ocean Commission.
The oceans play host to an incredible range of lifeforms, from coral reefs to tropical storm surges, and are vital to our food supply, our livelihoods and our very survival as a species. The ocean accounts for nearly 40 percent of the Earth’s total energy, nearly 10% of its oxygen, and more than 40 percent of the world’s animal biomass. While the oceans are a very difficult and complex system to study, the research community is finally beginning to make progress in understanding the oceans.
An International Treaty
When the International Convention for the Law of the Sea came into force in 1982, it was hailed as a landmark agreement between nations committed to protecting our shared oceans. It’s more commonly referred to as the Law of the Sea, and has been lauded with international respect and praise. It was the first international treaty with a dedicated “marine environment” section, and is the first legally enforceable international agreement that recognizes the interconnectedness of the oceans.
The Law of the Sea is a treaty that covers all kinds of oceans and marine areas, including those in the Arctic, Antarctic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. The goal of the Law of the Sea is to safeguard our shared ocean resources in a manner of the highest international significance and to provide a framework for protecting other species.
There are currently more than 250 members of the Law of the Sea, led by a number of international organizations, including the United Nations. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are the two most well-known international Law of the Sea organizations, and are working together on this current issue.
The Law of the Sea recognizes the fundamental interdependence of all species on all other species, and therefore all species that are living in the oceans. The Law of the Sea requires all coastal states to share the ocean’s resources and the benefits they offer to the ecosystem. The Law of the Sea has had tremendous success in protecting our shared resources, and has made a significant impact in reducing
