SDG 14 : Life Below Water

 

  Did you know that by 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the oceans if we continue polluting at this current pace? Ocean acidification, overfishing and oil plastic dumping are causing the biodiversity in the world's water to drop at an alarming rate. SDG 14 is dedicated to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, the seas and marine resources.  According to the UN, the ocean faces 5 major challenges including overfishing, pollution, loss of habitat, invasive species and also acidification. 

 

  

  

   By the year 2030, the UN would like to significantly reduce or possibly eliminate marine pollution of all kinds and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid critical impacts. They will also like to increase the economic benefits of the sustainable use of marine resources everywhere. Conserving sea life is crucial because the oceans are the largest ecosystem on earth. Oceans generate half of the oxygen we breathe and they contain more than 97% of the world's water. They also provide one-sixth of all animal protein we consume. Healthy oceans act as carbon absorbers and help fight climate change. The ecosystem is in danger of being destroyed or permanently altered. 

  Plastic waste is ending up in the oceans and killing marine life. Also, the fish we eat contain a dangerous amount of plastics and other harmful substances that end up in our digestive system. This is an issue for the food industry and people worldwide.  These will be bad things not only for the life below water but also for us. There are now about 13 000 pieces of plastic litter to be found on every square kilometre of the ocean. 

  Warming water temperatures are melting the great glaciers that provide shelter and homes for animals like penguins and seals and consist of freshwater. This is a great concern because glacial ice covers about 10% of the world and store around 75% of all freshwater. If they melt and mix with the surrounding saltwater, the inhabitants of those waters will perish. In addition to the destruction of sea life, of all of the land ice would melt sea level globally will rise by 70 meters drowning out entire countries.

   We have also seen the overfishing of the global supply of fish for human consumption has outpaced population growth in the past five decades. This is because 30% of the world's fish stock are being exploited reaching the level where they can no longer produce sustainable amounts each year due to overfishing. There are 4.6 million fishing vessels in the world. We have seen a rise in ocean acidification of over 25%, since 1760. This is because of the CO2 emissions from things such as factories and cars. If we continue our consumption trends and use the ocean as a plastic dumpster, the ecosystem will eventually die. To restore the fish stocks as quickly as practicable, at least to levels that are as highly sustainable as determined by their biological character. by 2020, effectively regulate the collection and end fishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated and destructive practises and implement science-based management plans.

    This is how everyone can help our oceans be aware of how our choices can affect the ocean. When shopping for fish at the grocery store, search for certified products the MSC provide an entire list of sustainable fish to eat. The blue MSC logo lets you know a product is certified. Support small scale fishers by shopping in local markets also one way that we can help in achieve this SDG 14 goals.

  We can also help this by cycling or walking to school. It can reduce the consumption of fuels and at the same time, less Carbon Dioxide emissions. Educate ourselves about the ocean and marine life for future betterment. The simple things that I can do are minimize my plastic use and try using reusable bags and water bottles to reduce ocean pollution. We can also clean up litter to minimize the size of landfills, make sure that water stays clean and in good condition. I can also volunteer to help through programs or events. So, it is mean, we must always improve our level of awareness to make sure the achievement of this goal. 

 Thus, what I have learned from this is that we must together change our attitude and behaviour to achieve the real purpose of SDG 14. Like Allah has mentioned in the Quran:

                          وَمَآ اَصَابَكُمْ مِّنْ مُّصِيْبَةٍ فَبِمَا كَسَبَتْ اَيْدِيْكُمْ وَيَعْفُوْا عَنْ كَثِيْرٍۗ

"And whenever a misfortune befalls you, it is due to what your hands have earned (what you have done). Pardons most of (misfortune) them (does not give to you)."

  From this verse, we knew that anything bad that happens around us is actually because of us. So, we need to increase our level of awareness start from now. These objectives have a great resemblance to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). if we can see the objective of SDG, we can see that although these have not been developed on a religious basis, most goals are nonetheless aligned with the spirit of Islamic law.

References :

https://www.globalgoals.org/14-life-below-water