For centuries, women have been the gatekeepers and guardians of the environment. However, time and time again, in key policy decisions, the voices of women have been neglected or ignored. Recognising the role that women play in managing natural resources, this year’s World Oceans Day is being celebrated under the theme “Gender and the Ocean.” The voices of women are essential as we begin to think of critical solutions to solve the current realities of the ocean. Women are a resource in offering profound traditional and contemporary knowledge. This year, World Oceans Day provides an opportunity to explore the gender dimension of humankind’s relationship with the ocean. On June 8th, we celebrate the importance of our oceans, and the role they play in sustaining a healthy planet.
Sustainable Goal 5: Achieve gender equity and empower all women and girls
The importance of gender equality, in particular for the effective conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine resources, is increasingly being recognised. Bringing it closer to home, at the Environmental Protection Agency, the water quality unit is operated by a group of female officers. Senior Environmental Officer Michel Swanston noted that “women have an important role in managing our water resources. For instance, with fresh water, women are the ones in the home who are in charge of ensuring the household has sufficient and clean water.”
The Environmental Protection Agency has been instrumental in involving women in protecting the environment through training workshops, seminars, and other forms of outreach. The topics include: climate change, waste management, energy and water wise practices, and biodiversity management.
Approximately three-quarters of our planet is covered in water, to the point where is it called “The Blue Planet”. The oceans provide food, generate oxygen, and regulate our climate. Healthy oceans are critical to our survival as a planet, and particularly those who live along coastlines.
World Oceans Day allows us to:
• Change perspective – Encourage individuals to think about what the oceans mean to them and what they have to offer all of us, with hopes of conserving the oceans for present and future generations.
• Learn – Discover the wealth of diverse and beautiful ocean creatures and habitats; how our daily actions affect them, and how we are all interconnected.
• Change our ways – We are all linked to, and through, the ocean! By taking care of your backyard and helping in your community, you are acting as a caretaker of our oceans. Making small modifications to your everyday habits will make a difference; and involving your family, friends, and community will benefit our blue planet even more!
• Celebrate – Whether you live inland or on the coast, we are all connected to the ocean. Take the time to think about how the ocean affects you, and how you affect the ocean; and then organise, or participate in, activities that celebrate our oceans.
TOGETHER, WE CAN PROTECT AND RESTORE OUR OCEANS.
You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O ECEA Programme, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, GEORGETOWN, or email us at: [email protected] or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
