Module 6: LIFE BELOW WATER (SDG14) - POTwo thirds of the surface of the earth is covered with water. Water is a main condition of life. Humans evolved from the very first bacteria found in the sea 4.000.000.000 years ago. Our lives are deeply dependent on water.
The world’s oceans – their temperature, chemistry, currents and life – drive global systems that make the Earth habitable for humankind. How we manage this vital resource is essential for humanity as a whole.
SDG 14, Life below water, aims to conserve oceans by ensuring they are used sustainably. This includes safeguarding marine and coastal ecosystems, as well as preventing and reducing marine pollution and the impacts of ocean acidification.
Marine pollution, an overwhelming majority of which comes from land-based sources, is reaching alarming levels, with an average of 13,000 pieces of plastic litter to be found on every square kilometre of the ocean.
SDG 14, Life below water, is divided into 10 targets:
Subgoal 14.1
By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
Subgoal 14.2
By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
Subgoal 14.3
Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels
Subgoal 14.4
By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
Subgoal 14.5
By 2020, conserve at least 10 percent of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information
Subgoal 14.6
By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognizing that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the World Trade Organization fisheries subsidies negotiation
Subgoal 14.7
By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism
Subgoal 14.A
Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing States and least developed countries
Subgoal 14.B
Provide access for small-scale artisanal fishers to marine resources and markets
Subgoal 14.C
Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in UNCLOS, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of The Future We Want
A change of habits is necessary for future generations. We need to change climate fear into climate actions. In a UNICEF survey 41,2% of youth fear climate change. We need to improve their understanding of the water cycle as well as recycling. We need to educate children as citizens of the world to be conscious of life in the oceans and of how dependant human life is on the ocean. Most importantly, how fragile it is in regard to human actions on land and in the sea. It is important to teach children that our present actions will affect biodiversity and future generations.
To understand the marine pollution, it is necessary to understand water cycle. The students have to understand, that they themselves take part in the water cycle.
We borrow the water we use from the nature and we have to send the water back to nature as clean and unpolluted as we got it. The students also have to understand that water run from the surface of the land to the sea. It is difficult to understand the global cycle, if you do not understand the local cycle of water.
All participating students will learn the answers to the following questions:
The students must have a basic scientific knowledge, but it is also essential, that they appreciate the nature and have positive experiences with the sea and the living animals and plants. This we must incorporate in the activities.
We have chosen to focus on the following three sustainable development goals:
Subgoal 14.1
By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution
The key themes of 14.1:
Plastic pollution of the sea, because it is a visible world wide problem, illustrates, why we are dependant of each other
Pollution with nutrients in coastal waters that comes from fish production, cities and the agriculture
Subgoal 14.2
By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration in order to achieve healthy and productive oceans
The key themes of SDG 14.2:
We will work with biodiversity with a focus on protection of species, because the species that will be extinct, never can return
Focus on restoration of marine and ecosystem local and global eg. concrete actions to restore the local inlet. (Vejle Fjord)
Subgoal 14.4
By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, in order to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics
The key themes of SDG 14.4:
To become aware of the power of being a sustainable consumer
To become aware of how dependent nations are of transnational targets and laws, that regulates the fishing fleet
To become aware of how fishing methods influence the ecosystem
Our reasons for choosing and pinpointing these 3 targets are, that they are affecting human life and will be relevant also for school children to work with. If we want them to change their habits and attitude, it must make sense for the students in their everyday life and give them opportunities to act. It is important for us that the activities we choose are close to the students’ everyday life. Furthermore, it is important that they are able to understand the effect of the actions, which they can do themselves.
They need to have positive experiences connected to the sea and life below water. We will obtain that in the following ways:
The students need to see and feel that sea pollution and other human actions towards the sea is a real problem (e.g. plastic in mussels or plastic on the beach)
The students need to develop an understanding of the natural systems (e.g. water cycle, pollution chemistry and biodiversity) in the sea
The students will be able to see a solution that can be integrated into everyday life
It is also important that the activities are practice-oriented and gives a basic knowledge of water systems.
Humans are both responsible of sea pollution as well as deeply dependent on the oceans to provide us with food for a growing population. Therefore we have to educate the coming generations in a way that gives them both an understanding of the problem, willingness to make choices concerning both personal actions and political actions higher in the system. The students must have the abilities to solve problems created of the way humankind is affecting our environment and they must have power to take action. Our education must reflect those skills, described as 21st century skills.
We will in our activities focus on making learning situations where the students:
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