Day 5 at the United Nations Ocean Conference

The ocean is a resource. The ocean is a resource. The ocean is a resource. That is the sentence that I have heard over and over again. It seems to me that people specifically governmental actors only care about the ocean because it is simply a resource that is depleting. However, the ocean is so much more than that. It is the way of life for so many people. It is part of a greater cultural that some of us will never know but that does not diminish the meaning of that culture. That is one the biggest lessons I have learned this past week at the United Nations. The ocean is so much more to people than simply just the ocean. To me it me it seems the thought process is that we should get the ocean to a stable place that way it can be exploited all over again.

There needs to be a paradigm shift. The ocean is not a resource instead it is a way of life for people. It is a part of many cultures and lives all around the world from the Caribbean to the Pacific Rim. There should be implementation of sustainable practices for the ocean because that is the only way that we as a world are going to be successful in reversing our mistakes. We are the ones who are responsible for this travesty so it has now become our responsibility to take care of the ocean and earth as they have taken care of us since the beginning of time.

Those are some tall orders I am asking of everyone. However, it is this drastic paradigm shift that is needed for all of us to be successful in our endeavors for the planet. While, I have found this conference to be discouraging at times I still feel empowered by the people I have met because I know they are the ones who will change the world for the better. They are the ones who were able to impart a small part of their ocean culture to me. So, I ask everyone to begin to realize that the ocean is not only a resource but an entire culture and a way of life. Then, just maybe this conference will be worth while.