Save the Sea

 Images from the video "Save the Sea", produced by UNESCO in collaboration with the Oceanographic Museum and the Scientific Centre of Monaco,

LE CNEXO - Centre Océanographique de Bretagne et l'IEAE.

"The Sea, the Common Good of Humanity"

The sea represents two thirds of the world's surface. It is the "liquid lung" of the 5 continents. While the sea is often associated to relaxation and leisure, maritime transport and the industrialists who dump their waste there weaken this natural resource. Is life in the sea threatened? How to save the sea? This 1973 video reviews the history of oceanography and the activities of oceanographers sent on missions around the world by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission to study and analyse the sea scientifically.

45 years later, the issue of marine pollution is still topical and alarming. Over the past four decades, waste has multiplied to form what is now called the "Seventh Continent", a huge plastic pollution plate the size of one-third of the United States. This year, on the occasion of ‘World Environment Day’ (‘Beat Plastic Pollution’, 5 June 2018) and ‘World Oceans Day’ (‘Clean Our Ocean’, 8 June 2018), Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, spoke about the ‘Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development’ (2021-2030) project, led by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. This new collaboration gives nations the opportunity to share scientific knowledge and transfer their technologies in order to develop conservation policies, and finally, to save the sea.

Maëva Nguyen, Digitization Project Assistant