Protect the source of life

(Baonghean.vn) - The seas and oceans are great reserves of useful minerals, biological resources, energy as well as raw materials used in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, which can provide substitutes for increasingly depleted resources on land.

The role of seas and oceans

Seas and oceans are recognized by scientists as the source of life on Earth. Illustration photo.

- The sea plays a very important role in the development and security of coastal countries in particular and the world in general. Some countries and territories have taken advantage of the strength of the sea to achieve a very high level of economic development.

- The 21st century is considered by strategists as the "Century of the Ocean", because with the current economic and population growth rate, natural resources, especially non-renewable resources on land, will be exhausted in the next few decades. In that context, countries with seas, especially large countries, are reaching out to the sea, building sea strategies, and enhancing all aspects of potential to exploit and control the sea.

- Seas and oceans are endless water stores, providing the continents with a huge amount of water vapor, creating clouds and rain to sustain human life and creatures on Earth and have the effect of regulating the climate.

- The sea and ocean are also extremely valuable stores of resources and food.

1. Marine biological resources

Marine biological resources. Illustration photo.

Marine life is the most important resource for humans, including hundreds of thousands of species of animals, plants and microorganisms. This is an extremely valuable food store, especially in continental shelf areas. Besides familiar seafood species used as food such as fish, shrimp, crab, squid...; in the polar seas and oceans, there are also large animals such as whales, sharks, sea leopards, sea bears... which are valuable sources of meat, fat, skin and fur for industry. Marine and ocean plants have colorful seaweeds and algae, which are raw materials for the food and chemical industries.

The world's marine and ocean fisheries production has been continuously increasing in recent years. According to FAO, the maximum marine fish catch is 100 million tons.

2. Mineral resources

Exploitation of minerals (oil) from the sea. Illustration photo.

The sea and ocean are an endless source of table salt and salt used in the chemical industry. The total amount of dissolved salt contained in the sea is about 48 million km3, including table salt, iodine and 60 other chemical elements. At the bottom of the seas and oceans are many minerals and large ore deposits such as oil and gas, iron ore, manganese, mineral sand ore... Clean energy sources from the sea and ocean such as tidal energy (green coal), wave energy... are currently being exploited to serve marine transportation, run generators and many other human benefits.

3. Seas and oceans are waterways.

Water transport. Illustration photo.

Sea transport was born quite early compared to other modes of transport. As early as the 5th century BC, people knew how to take advantage of the sea and ocean as traffic routes to exchange regions, regions, and countries with each other in the world. Up to now, sea transport has been strongly developed and become a modern transport industry in the international transport system.

Sea transport routes are mostly natural routes. Sea transport can serve to transport all types of goods in international trade, so sea transport has promoted the development of international trade.

In today's era of globalization, if trade is considered the lifeblood of the world economy, then maritime transport is considered the blood vessels that circulate that blood.

Sea routes are routes connecting two or more ports together on which ships operate to carry passengers or goods. Seaports are places where ships enter and exit and are important traffic hubs of a coastal country.

Sea routes are the bridges connecting continents; seas and oceans will also be new areas for humans to expand their living areas. In addition, this is also the condition for the development of many new production sectors such as marine industry and marine agriculture.

4. Seas and oceans are places that contain potential for tourism development.

Wide, long sandy beaches and beautiful landscapes facilitate the construction of tourist and resort areas.

Main factors causing marine pollution

Plastic is one of the most convenient materials that humans have ever invented. However, it is a threat to our lives, when plastic waste is thrown carelessly into the ocean every day, every hour. Illustration photo.

- From the mainland: Development activities on land, especially on river basins such as urbanization, development of industrial zones, agriculture, brackish water aquaculture and exploitation, residential areas, mining, etc. Untreated waste is discharged into rivers and streams and eventually "all rivers flow into the sea". The amount of waste from the mainland to the sea in our country accounts for about 50-60%.

- From the sea: Marine activities such as shipping, aquaculture and fishing, port development and seabed dredging, marine tourism, marine mineral exploration and exploitation (mainly oil and gas), ship sinking and other marine environmental incidents (oil spills, oil discharges, illegal dumping of oil residue, radioactive waste, toxic chemicals, etc.).

- From the air: Sea-air interactions also lead to the deposition of pollutants into the sea. This type is difficult to monitor and manage because it is often spread over a large area.

- From the seabed: Mainly in areas with or affected by strong geodynamic activities such as earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis,...

Measures to protect the marine environment

Protecting the marine environment is protecting life on Earth. Illustration photo.

- Marine pollution can have many different causes, but first of all it is humans, and we need to start with small actions like not littering.

- Reasonable and economical use of resources: Among the benefits that the sea brings, marine environmental factors, ecosystems and biodiversity play a particularly important role, always intertwined between immediate and long-term benefits in the true sense of the word. This is a renewable resource, the foundation for sustainable development of the country's ecosystem-based economy. Therefore, it can be said that the "eternal existence of the sea" will depend on the reasonable and economical use of marine resources.

- Environmental monitoring and warning: Conduct periodic and repeated monitoring to assess the current status and trends of marine environmental quality, promptly warn for handling and take measures to improve environmental quality. In addition to the national marine environmental monitoring system, the Government has recently invested in building a marine environmental monitoring system using integrated radar (18 stations along the sea and islands)...

The sea plays an important economic, political and cultural role for coastal countries. The marine economy is playing a key role in Vietnam's Marine Strategy from now until 2020. This goal can only be achieved if we protect the marine environment well.

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