DSG14 Keeping Oceans Clean and Lively Live-able, Problems aggravated by or created due to or existed before Pandemic and their solutions, and Achieving SDG and Going to Moon, Mars and Beyond

DSG14 Keeping Oceans Clean and Lively Live-able, Problems aggravated by or created due to or existed before Pandemic and their solutions, and Achieving SDG and Going to Moon, Mars and Beyond

SDG14 Problems Created or Aggravated due to Pandemic YouTube URL: https://youtu.be/MnG8ATIcJAM • Reference: https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal14 • Sustainability of oceans are under severe threat due to: • Plastic Pollution: 5.25 Trillion plastic pieces are in ocean right now, and almost 10 million tonnes plastic dumped every year in the oceans • Marine Pollution: 70% of pollutant debris sink into oceans besides above pollution • Fishery Collapse: Ocean Biodiversity already gone, and in 50 years no fishes would be left in oceans if we don’t act • Acidification: 550 Billion tonnes of CO2 Got absorbed in Ocean and has become 30% more acidic than 300 year before • Eutrophication: Asia has highest Eutrophication in their lakes up to 60% while in Africa it is the least, 28%. It is nothing but fertiliser flowing to the ocean and its impact. • Ocean Warming: Top 2000 feet of ocean has got warmed about 1.5 Degrees Fahrenheit since 1900. • Dead zones were 400 in 2008 while the recorded dead zones in 2019 were 700, it might have got doubled in fact by now, where marine lives cannot live due to lack of sufficient oxygen availability for breathing and thus due to high pollution not suitable for complete life cycle of any known fishes or species. • Out of 16000+ Key Marine Biodiversity Areas more than half that is more than 8000+ Marine Biodiversity areas are NOT Protected and Not properly taken care. • Ocean Sciences Budget is just 1.2% of National Research Budgets which is insufficient • More than 3 Billion People live on Oceans for their livelihoods hence for sustainability half of the 193 member states are encouraging and have started small scale fishers as big fishers over exploit the oceans. • In Pandemic Masks, Plastic bottles for sanitisation and hand wash, got their outlets in oceans and lockdown overlooked above mentioned problems as none could go out of their homes, E.g. Collection of plastic waste could not be carried out in most of the places during pandemic lockdowns. NOW LET’S See Targets and Indicators for SDG14. SDG 14 Targets and Indicators: • Target 14.1: Preventing and Reducing Marine Pollution of kinds till 2025, including: • Land Based Activities, • Marine Debris and Nutrient Pollution • Indicator 14.1.1: • A: Index of Eutrophication: Means the fertilisers flown into the oceans: • Parts/ Billion i.e. Parts Per Billion i.e. PPB, OR • Microgram/ Litre • Then there are more calculations: • Eutrophication Equivalent is calculated in terms of C, O, H, and N combination of equations. • It is also calculated as a Phosphate Equivalent i.e. PO4 • B. Plastic Debris Density: In 2020: • Microplastic Density in ocean was found to be 0.88 to 1.01 gm per cubic cm (gm/cm3) • Plastic Density: • On Surface was almost 2 items per meter square i.e. 2 items/m2 • Below 10 cm debris were almost 50 items/ m2 • Out of these both above cases almost 98% debris on surface or below 10 cm water was plastic. • Target 14.2: By 2020, Manage Marine Ecosystem of Oceans to make them productive again by taking whatever measures possible to make them sustainable • Indicator 14.2.1: Number of nations using ecosystem-based approach to manage marine areas • Target 14.3: Reducing Ocean Acidification by international cooperation • Indicator 14.3.1: Average Marine Acidity pH value, at different sampling stations. The Value of pH is 7 for Neutral Water, and for less than 7 it’s Acidic and for more than 7 it’s Basic. • Target 14.4: Regulate the fishing so that fishes are biologically sustainable and are available for fishing as per their lifecycle at their maximum yield • Indicator 14.4.1: Proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels • Target 14.5: By 2020, Conserving the 10% marine areas consistent with national and international law • Indicator 14.5.1: Coverage of Protected areas in relation with the Marine Areas • Pandemic Lockdowns might make us have a relook at this pointer. • Target 14.6: By 2020, removing subsidies on certain fisheries, as integral part of the World Trade Organisation fisheries subsidies negotiation, which instigate illegal, unreported, and unregulated overfishing • Indicator 14.6.1: Degree of implementation of international instrument aiming to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing • Target 14.7: By 2020, Improving the sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism so as to economically benefit the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDC). • Indicator 14.7.1: (Proportion of Sustainable Fisheries/ GDP), in SIDS, LDC and all countries. • Target 14.a: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and guidelines can help in transferring knowledge and technology related to marine biodiversity and helping improving the research this area, that can benefit the LDC and SIDC. • Indicator 14.a.1: Proportion of Budget dedicated to marine technology / Total Research Budget • Target 14.b: Provide access for small scale artisanal (individual poor fishermen) fisheries to marine resources and market • Indicator 14.b.1: Degree of the implantation of the legal framework/ regulatory framework to protect and benefit the small-scale artisanal fishermen • Target 14.c: Enhancing the Conservation and Sustainable use of the oceans by implementing international law as per the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) and as per the paragraph 158 of THE FUTURE WE WANT. • Indicator 14.c.1: Number of countries making progress on protecting, conserving Ocean resources for their sustainable use as per the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS). • Finally, in Marathi one proverb is there, “Jal Hech Jeevan” means “Water is Life” i.e. “Life depends on Water”. So let’s protect and sustain our oceans and its resources.