Fish
Nowhere is more powerful and unforgiving, yet more beautiful and endlessly fascinating than the ocean.
A powerful video message from Sir David Attenborough was presented to 90 Heads of State at the opening of the United Nations Ocean Conference.
In the film, produced by BBC Earth, Sir David delivers the sombre message that for too long people have taken the ocean for granted; impacting all ocean habitats with our actions and pushing species to the brink.
"Now we are facing the consequences: the seas are warming, rising, and becoming more acidic. It’s a sobering thought, that coral reefs may be lost within the next century," he says.
Sir David stresses the importance of the world's oceans and how they effect every living thing on Earth from the air we breathe, and the water we consume. It drives the weather and stabilises the climate.
But the future doesn't need to be bleak.
The ocean’s power of regeneration is remarkable - if we just offer it the chance"
"The ocean’s power of regeneration is remarkable - if we just offer it the chance," he says.
"We are in reach of a whole new relationship with the ocean, a wiser, more sustainable relationship. The choice lies with us."
For more information, visit the UN World Oceans Day website.
