Where do we go now?

Thank you for sharing your ideas and learning with us for the last four weeks. Your contributions in the on-line discussions have been a key part of the learning journey as we Explore our Ocean.

In this final Step, some of the course contributors discuss the issues that have been raised in this course and convey their hopes for how these challenges might be tackled in the future as we start the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science and Sustainable Development.

The United Nations General Assembly has endorsed seven outcomes for this crucial decade:

1. A clean ocean where sources of pollution are identified and reduced or removed,
2. A healthy and resilient ocean where The United Nations General Assembly has endorsed seven outcomes for the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development leading to 2030:
3. A productive ocean supporting sustainable food supply and a sustainable ocean economy,
4. A predicted ocean where society understands and can respond to changing ocean conditions,
5. A safe ocean where life and livelihoods are protected from ocean-related hazards,
6. An accessible ocean with open and equitable access to data, information and technology and innovation,
7. An inspiring and engaging ocean where society understands and values the ocean in relation to human wellbeing and sustainable development.

The world’s oceans are the foundation of life, and as such should be protected, nurtured and only used as a resource after careful and measured scientific review. As a fellow of this course, and someone who cares about the oceans of the future – I pledge three simple things:

1. To recycle and avoid single use, non-recyclable plastics.
2. To make my use of fish an ethically based choice.
3. To share my love and passion for the oceans, and encourage others to follow this pledge.

Signed ……

Over to you

Copy the above pledge (or write your own) and share on social media. Use the hastag #OceanPledge.

Please share your ideas about dealing with the human impacts on the ocean and delivering on the goals for the Ocean Decade with other learners in the comments section below and let’s commit to collectively changing behaviours and cleaning up our ocean for a sustainable future.