SDG 14: Life Below Water

Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Below Water

Sustainable Development Goal 14 focuses on preserving life below water. It promotes sustainable development to conserve oceans, seas and marine resources. This SDG brings awareness to climate change and the negative effects that are impacting children around the world.

Extreme Weather: Rising Sea Levels and Droughts

Unicef has brought awareness to the rising sea levels. This is important because “530 million children live in extremely high flood occurrence zones” (1). On the other hand, many communities have been impacted because of droughts, thereby lacking basic needs such as food and water (1).

Lack of Clean Water

Another aspect of SDG 14 is clean water safety. To aid this issue Unicef has prioritized hygiene and sanitation services, such as the WASH program. WASH stands for water, sanitation, and hygiene, and it is meant to provide drinking water and standard hygiene for all children (3). The main goal for this program is to keep children “alive and healthy” as 2.2 billion people worldwide still don’t have clean water accessible to them (3). Through the WASH program, they are empowering communities, teaching schools, building toilets, and transporting purified water so children can live healthy lives (3).

Polluted Oceans and less wildlife

Marine pollution and acidification have led to uninhabitable conditions for many animals. Marine pollution is littering the seas, such as throwing garbage in the ocean, which kills many animals. Secondly, acidification is when carbon dioxide enters the ocean and this makes the water acidic (like lemon juice). This changes the marine environment so that many animals are not able to survive or adapt which can lead to death and this reduces the biodiversity of wildlife.

Take action: Tide Turners Plastic Action!

The Global Goals has developed 7 ways for an individual to take action (4). These include reducing your own waste and making sure not to litter, minimizing how much you buy bottled water, and buying local fish (4). They also mention donating to Goal 14 charities such as the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge who is in partnership with the UN (5). The Tide Turners Plastic Challenge focuses on every one individual adapting their plastic habits for the greater good. They have an action kit just a series of activities to help you reach your sustainable goal!

For more information on the Tide Turners Plastic Action, click here! https://earthtribe.scout.org/tide-turners-plastic.html

Think about what you can do to help?

There are some games below to develop your knowledge and brainstorm what you can do to help. Try them out!

References