UN Secretary General António Guterres on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) called for efforts to protect the oceans. The recently issued Second World Ocean Assessment confirmed that many of the benefits that the global ocean provides to humankind are being undermined by human actions, he said in a message for World Oceans Day, which falls on June 8. "Our seas are choking with plastic waste, which can be found from the remotest atolls to the deepest ocean trenches. Overfishing is causing an annual loss of almost $90 billion in net benefits, which also heightens the vulnerability of women, who are vital to the survival of small-scale fishing businesses," he said.

Protect oceans, UN tells nations. (2021, June 10). The Manila Times, p. B5.