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12 Sundays June 6 and June 13, 2004 ■ CatholicNews

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

The seas are polluted, the garbage is piling up, there’s a


WHAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT OUR SEAS “It is
manifestly
1. Oceans cover 70 per unjust that
cent of the earth’s “The World Environment Day theme selected for 2004 is
Wanted! Seas and Oceans – Dead or Alive? The theme asks a privileged
surface.
2. More than 90 per cent of that we make a choice as to how we want to treat the earth’s few should continue
the planet’s living seas and oceans. It also calls on each and every one of us to accumulate
biomass is found in the to act. Do we want to keep seas and oceans healthy and excess goods,
oceans. alive or polluted and dead? squandering
3. Eighty per cent of all “The marine environment is facing available resources,
pollution in seas and challenges that, if not addressed while masses of
oceans comes from immediately and effectively, will have
profound implications for sustainable
people are living in
land-based activities. conditions of misery
4. Death and disease development. Society can no longer view the
world’s seas as a convenient dumping at the very lowest
caused by polluted level of subsistence.”
coastal waters cost the ground for our waste, or as an unlimited CNS photo
source of plenty.” – Pope John Paul II
global economy
– Kofi A. Annan, United Nations Secretary-General
US$12.8 billion (S$22 FILIPINOS scavenge
billion) a year. The the mountain of
annual economic impact garbage called the
of hepatitis from tainted street run-off, effluent and storm damage by hundreds of thousands Promised Land in
seafood alone is US$7.2 from factories, and from serving as buffers of marine species each Manila. CNS file photo
billion. ships flushing their between oceans and year and helping to
5. Plastic waste kills up to tanks. near-shore communities. destroy important
1 million sea birds, 9. Pollution, exotic species 12. The major causes of undersea habitats. “While in some cases the damage already
100,000 sea mammals and alteration of coastal coral reef decline are 16. As many as 100 million done may well be irreversible, in many other
and countless fish each habitats are a growing coastal development, sharks are killed each
year for their meat and
cases it can still be halted. It is necessary,
year. threat to important sedimentation,
6. Sea creatures killed by marine ecosystems such destructive fishing fins, which are used for however, that individuals, States and
plastic decompose, the as mangroves, seagrass practices, pollution, shark fin soup. Hunters international bodies take seriously their responsibility.
plastic does not. Plastic beds and coral reefs. tourism and global typically catch the The most profound and serious indication of the
remains in the ecosystem 10. Studies show that warming. sharks, de-fin them moral implications underlying the ecological
to kill again and again. protecting critical 13. More than 70 per cent of while alive and throw problem is the lack of respect for life evident in many
7. Harmful algal blooms, marine habitats – such the world’s marine them back into the
caused by an excess of as warm- and cold- fisheries are now fished ocean where they either of the patterns of environmental pollution. Often, the
nutrients – mainly water coral reefs, up to or beyond their drown or bleed to death. interests of production prevail over concern for the
nitrogen from seagrass beds and sustainable limit. 17. Shrimp farming, too, is dignity of workers, while economic interests take
agricultural fertilizers – mangroves – can 14. Populations of highly destructive. It priority over the good of individuals and even entire
have created nearly 150 dramatically increase commercially attractive causes chemical and peoples.
coastal deoxygenated fish size and quantity, large fish, such as tuna, fertilizer pollution of
water and has been
Delicate ecological balances are upset by the
‘dead zones’ worldwide, benefiting both artisanal cod, swordfish and
ranging from 1 to 70,000 and commercial marlin, have declined by largely responsible for uncontrolled destruction of animal and plant life or
square kilometers. fisheries. as much as 90 per cent the destruction of nearly by a reckless exploitation of natural resources. All of
8. An estimated 21 million 11. Reefs protect human in the past century. a quarter of the world’s this, even if carried out in the name of progress and
barrels of oil run into the populations along 15. Destructive fishing mangroves. ■ United well-being, is ultimately to mankind’s disadvantage.”
oceans each year from coastlines from wave practices are killing Nations Environment Programme
– Pope john Paul II

“AIYAH, WHY YOU BOTHER SO


Sr Wendy Ooi, fsp
interviews Mr. Leong
The state of Singapore waters Q What are some of
the tips you can suggest to
Kwok Peng, Marine help keep our waters clean
Conservation Group, associated dredging work and its agencies like JTC, adverse impact by coastal was done due to the and help marine life thrive?
Nature Society Singapore our waters are constantly SDC and HDB should be development. formation of Jurong Island
silted up. Too much silt conscious that there is a rich which buried a vast Leong The main cause
Q What is the state of will reduce water visibility marine biodiversity in our Q What does the expanse of coral reefs. We for the demise of marine
the sea in Singapore? and cut off sunlight to coral waters especially around Marine Conservation Group have just published a life is still land reclamation
which require sunlight for our southern islands. Any in Nature Society do? coffee table book where whole habitat is
Leong Quite bad growth. The silt can also reclamation and dredging “Singapore Waters – taken out for land
actually. There has been settle on the coral causing should be properly Leong In the past, MCG Unveiling Our Seas” which development. The
ongoing land reclamation stress and in the worst case controlled to reduce the of NSS has carried out showcase the marine government should look
for Tuas and Jurong Island completely bury them. effect of siltation and at all coral relocation. One of biodiversity left in our into creating marine
as well as some cost avoid dredging in close these is the relocation of waters. It also highlight protected areas especially
reclamation at our southern Q What can be done by proximity of existing coral corals from Pulau Ayer some of the conservation in some of the southern
islands like Lazarus, the government and public reefs. The public especially Chawan to Sentosa during effort undertaken to protect islands. The public should
Seringat and St John. Pulau to improve the state of our boaters, divers and anglers the 1993 to 1994 period, our waters. We also give be aware that we still have
Tekong is also under waters? should be speaking out to almost every weekend – public slide talks as a marine life in our waters
reclamation. As a result of protect our remaining bits by bits using volunteer public awareness and there is still hope to
the reclamation and the Leong The government marine areas against divers and helpers. This programme. save them. ■

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