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Blue Earth: Environmental Information |
 Water is life
We are surrounded by water – 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Yet there is talk of a water crisis, the need to use water wisely, and our duty to protect our rivers, wetlands and oceans… Why?
As the world population grows and the demand for water increases, and as Earth’s supply of freshwater (stored in aquifers, surface waters and the atmosphere) becomes more polluted, access to usable water becomes more difficult.
The consequences are manifold, from health impacts and regional conflicts over scarce water resources, to harmful effects on plant and animal species from polluted water bodies.
The seas are not endless
An old African proverb says “Water may flow in a thousand channels, but it all returns to the sea�. Pollution brought by rivers into the sea, waste and effluent discharges in coastal areas, and oil pollution offshore are putting tremendous pressure on the oceans and, consequently, on marine life. 
Our oceans are teeming with life. For centuries we thought that their vastness provided an inexhaustible food supply. Not quite so. Today 76% of the world’s fishing stocks are fully exploited or overfished. Many fish stocks are being depleted beyond their regeneration capacity, which means that we are fishing at a faster rate than they are breeding.
Common solutions
Because fish stocks, as well as pollution or environmental degradation, do not follow national boundaries, the responses to these challenges must also be aligned between countries. Accordingly, experts advocate using natural instead of political borders when looking after the marine environment.
The Earth’s oceans can be divided into 64 different areas that share common characteristics and resources, the so-called Large Marine Ecosystems (LME).
Governments in each LME are joining hands to better manage the oceans, protect the marine life and guarantee food security. However, at the level of LME, country, region or beach, each one of us has a role to play to help attain these goals.
Find out more about water and oceans related issues:
UWC Enviro Facts: Facts about water
http://www.botany.uwc.ac.za/envFacts/facts/water.htm
World Water Council: Water Crisis
http://www.worldwatercouncil.org/index.php?id=25&L=0%252F
CPUT-DLIST’s Sustainable Development of Coastal Areas Course: Water Module
http://www.dlist-benguela.org/Course_Information/CPUT%3A_Environmental_Engineering_-_
Sustainable_Development_in_Coastal_Areas/Module_3%3A_Water/
FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Department
http://www.fao.org/fi/website/FIRetrieveAction.do?dom=topic&fid=16000
WWF: Major threats to the world’s oceans
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/marine/problems/index.cfm
DLIST: “Marine Litter� Burning Issue
http://www.dlist-benguela.org/Burning_Issues/Marine_Litter/Marine_Litter%3A_Introduction/
Large Marine Ecosystems of the World
http://www.edc.uri.edu/lme/intro.htm
Southern Africa Sustainable Seafood Initiative (SASSI)
http://www.panda.org.za/sassi/
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