| R 357 |
| 2022 -- H 8331 Enacted 06/08/2022 |
| H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N |
| RECOGNIZING JUNE 8TH OF 2022, AS "WORLD OCEANS DAY" IN THE STATE OF RHODE ISLAND, AND THE URGENT IMPORTANCE OF PROTECTING AND PRESERVING OUR OCEANS AND THEIR RESOURCES |
Introduced By: Representatives Cortvriend, Carson, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Filippi, Speakman, Donovan, Fogarty, and Ajello |
| Date Introduced: June 08, 2022 |
| WHEREAS, World Oceans Day is an international day that takes place annually on June |
| 8. It was originally proposed by Canada’s International Centre for Ocean Development (ICOD) in |
| 1992 at the Earth Summit's United Nations Conference on Environment and Development |
| (UNCED). World Oceans Day received official recognition by the United Nations in 2008; and |
| WHEREAS, The ocean covers more than seventy percent of planet Earth, and produces |
| approximately fifty percent of the planet's oxygen. It is home to most of the earth's biodiversity |
| and is the primary source of protein for more than a billion people. The ocean is one of the most |
| important sources of economic activity across the globe, with it being estimated that forty million |
| people will be employed by ocean-related businesses by 2030. More than ninety-five percent of |
| the ocean remains unexplored; and |
| WHEREAS, Today, the ocean is at a tipping point and desperately needs to be protected |
| by all nations. It is estimated that ninety percent of the fish populations have been depleted and |
| fifty percent of the coral reefs have perished. We are currently taking far more from our oceans |
| than can be replenished, and it is essential to work together today to restore our oceans vibrancy |
| and bounty; and |
| WHEREAS, The United Nations Decade of the Ocean Science for Sustainable |
| Development began in 2021, and is seeking to accelerate research in ocean science, strengthen |
| international cooperation, improve ocean management and eventually develop a complete digital |
| atlas of the ocean. Incredibly, less than twenty percent of the global ocean is currently mapped; |
| and |
| WHEREAS, The theme for this year's United Nations World Oceans Day is |
| "Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean." This celebration will be hosted at the United |
| Nations Headquarters in New York and will be broadcast live across the globe. The hope and |
| goal is to "shed light on the communities, ideas, and solutions that are working together to protect |
| and revitalize the ocean and everything it sustains"; now, therefore be it |
| RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby |
| recognizes June 8th of 2022 as "World Oceans Day" in the State of Rhode Island, and the urgent |
| importance of protecting and preserving our oceans and their resources; and be it further |
| RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to |
| transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the |
| United Nations, Ms. Kate Sutter, Community Engagement Manager, the Ocean Project, and Mr. |
| Stan Brajer, Chair, the Surfrider Foundation, Rhode Island Chapter. |
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| LC006082 |
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