Costa Rica is taking a leading role in motivating the international community to take action towards the decontamination of the oceans.

As part of the celebration of World Oceans Day this June 8, Costa Rica will host the Global Dialogue about Oceans June 8th and 9th in the Villa Caletas Hotel in the Central Pacific of Costa Rica.

Over 100 high level representatives from different countries and sectors including Environment Ministers, the President of Cost Rica Luis Guillermo Solís; the Costa Rican Minister of Environment and current President of the United Nations Environment Assembly Edgar Gutierrez and the Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environmental Programme Ibrahim Thiaw, will gather to discuss the different actions that will encourage solutions to plastic pollution and the prevention of marine litter for a healthier ocean.

The event will also provide an insight into topics that will be part of the next United Nations Assembly regarding the Environment that will take place in Nairobi, Kenya in December 2017.

Oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface, they are key in the natural cycles, the balance of the ecosystems and a primary source of life in our planet. They regulate the climate, produce oxygen and provide food and many other resources to millions of people around the world.

Having healthy oceans is key in the battle against climate change, since they absorb close to 25% of the Carbon Dioxide emissions generated by human activities in a year.

The contamination of the oceans has become one of the main challenges for the health of Costa Rica’s ecosystems. Every year more than 8 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans, which represent 90% of all the trash that floats in them.

It is estimated that at the current rhythm in which one-use plastic products are disposed of, the oceans will have more plastic than fish by 2050, and approximately 99% of the marine birds will have ingested plastic.