Our Ocean, Our Future

Our Ocean Our Future

Oceans covers the two-third of the earth surface and containing 97% of planet water. it is self-evident regarding its significance to humanity and planet. Oceans have a significant impact on social-economical, economic, political and strategic activities. it also helps in the maintenance of a sustainable planet environment. It provides a trade route for goods transport all over the world. Similarly, it also acts as a good source of fresh protein and regulates the climate of our Planet. The ocean is often called climate regulatory machine.  Strategically, ocean significance can be understood from the quote of Mahan. He was a naval strategist and author of The Influence of Sea Power upon History. He said: “whoever rules over the sea, rules the world.” He further says,” National prosperity and power depended on control of the world’s sea-lanes.”

Ocean Significance

Therefore, oceans are crucial for global food security, human health. it primarily regulates earth climate, absorbs greenhouse gases. Similarly, it provides water and oxygen and home of the largest biodiversity on earth. Despite such tremendous significance of oceans and seas for the existence of mankind, we are negatively interfering with the Ocean. Human activities are posing serious threats to the ocean and marine resource and degrading the ocean ecosystem. Unsustainable extraction of marine resources, environmental pollution and climate change degradation of coastal lands and marine habitat lose are negatively affecting the human being. Developing countries in the immediate vicinity of the ocean such as Pakistan will suffer more because of ocean degradation due to lake of resource to mitigate the negative effects produced due to ocean degradation.

Ocean Significance for Pakistan

 Fortunately, Pakistan has a 1000 km long coast. it extends from Sir Creek in the east to Jiwani in the west. The southern part of our country connects it with the productively rich Arabian ocean. its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of our country extends up to 350 NM – thanks to National Institute of Oceanography, Pakistan efforts in extending the continental shelf of Pakistan in 2015. Also, it regulates the two monsoon season of our country: NE summer monsoon and SE winter monsoon that act as a freshwater source in the upper areas of our country.

Furthermore, Chinese belt and Road Initiative will increase the trade and commercial activities in the Arabian ocean and will further increase the global trade connectivity in the region. Similarly, Coastal communities are either directly or indirectly related to fisheries business. furthermore, Ocean not only acts as a source of income but also meet the food requirement of the community. also Fisheries act as an important source of national income. It provides direct employment to 300,000 peoples and indirectly 400,000 peoples in the ancillary industry. But unfortunately, our ocean is under increasing threat of pollution, resource depletion, lose in biodiversity and environmental degradation.

Pollution

The major threat that we are facing is marine pollution that continuously degrading the marine environment. It is estimated that approximately 450 million gallons of industrial, agricultural and domestic waste are being directly dumped into the ocean. Majority of these waste are land-based that ends up in the ocean. Malir and Liari River caries up to 85% of waste material and directly dump into the ocean because of the absence of any waste treatment plant. The remaining waste coming from different source areas is directly dumped into the Delta creeks of the Arabian Sea.

Pollutants that make their way from both point and non-point source released into the oceans includes plastic related pollutants, pesticides, heavy metals including lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic that have a deteriorating impact upon ocean health and life.

The direct dumping of untreated waste into the ocean cause ocean acidification, killing of marine organism, algal bloom and destabilize the food chain. These pollutant enters into the food chain and accumulates in the organism at a higher level.

Unsustainable resource extraction

Another serious issue is the unsustainable extraction of marine biological resources. As a result, the marine global fish stock has declined by 69% in 2013 from 90% in 1974. In Pakistan, fisheries play an important source of national income. It provides direct employment to 300,000 peoples and indirectly to 400,000 peoples in ancillary industries. Although, 70% of fisheries products are exported annually global share of our fish export is only 0.25% which is minimum in the world export. Despite meagre contribution in the world export, our fisheries stocks is declining due to unsustainable fishing methods such as the introduction of environmentally harmful methods in efforts to increase fish catch, poverty – resource degradation nexus, destruction of mangroves, fishing during hatching season that kill larva and marine environment degradation due to pollution and hazardous wastes.

Ocean and Sustainable Development Goal

Sustainable development requires proper management of marine resources and reduction in marine pollution because it drives and interacts with all the other global system that makes the earth a suitable place for living. The main aim of Sustainable Development Goal-14 is to conserve the marine resources and utilize the sustainably Sustainable development goal-14 deals with reduction of marine pollution of all kind, management and protection of coastal and marine resources and ecosystem, cope with ocean acidification, regulation, halting overfishing and illegal fishing increase in ocean knowledge and investing in technology that will help in ocean studies and sustainable management of marine resources by enforcing and implementing ocean laws.

The way forward

Pakistan being a member of the UN will have to comply with the sustainable development goal. It is necessary for the sake of its own future generation. The country requires to take concrete steps in the reduction of marine pollution and overfishing in its territorial waters.it requires to protect and conserve the marine environment. Because the conservation and protection of the environment are compulsory for our wellbeing. The country will have to focus on good governance, sustainable use of marine resources. The control of pollution together with mass awareness regarding the importance of ocean can reduce the negative anthropogenic impact on the marine environment. In this way, it can protect and conserve the ocean for the sake of its future generations.