“Even if you never have the chance to see or touch the ocean, the ocean touches you with every breath you take, every drop of water you drink, every bite you consume. Everyone, everywhere is inextricably connected to and utterly dependent upon the existence of the sea.” – Sylvia Earle
The ocean plays an essential role for life on earth. It is the foundation of our life support system. The ocean provides over 70 percent of the oxygen we breathe (more than all rainforests combined), removes half of the atmosphere’s anthropogenic carbon dioxide (greenhouses gas) and controls our planet’s temperatures and weather. The ocean provides over 97 percent of the world’s water supply and provide 1/3 of our world with food. Ocean pollution not only affects marine life, it also affects mankind. Every day, toxic chemicals are entering our oceans and threatening marine ecosystems. This needs to change. If we don’t have the ocean, we don’t have a planet that works. We need to respect and protect the oceans as if our lives depended on it. Because they do.