THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	77
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting the governor to proclaim june 8th of every year as world ocean day.

     WHEREAS, the concept of World Ocean Day was established in 1992 at the United Nations Earth Summit; and

     WHEREAS, it is an opportunity for the world to celebrate and recognize the significance of the world ocean to our lives; and

     WHEREAS, the world ocean is critical to maintaining our planet's ecosystem and essential to human health and well‑being; and

     WHEREAS, the world ocean encompasses seventy per cent of the surface of our planet, yet less than one per cent of the world ocean habitat is protected; and

     WHEREAS, ocean environments around the world are collapsing, primarily due to over‑fishing, pollution, and unsustainable coastal development; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's isolation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and its distinction as being the farthest removed islands from any other body of land in the world make it an appropriate participant in World Ocean Day; and

     WHEREAS, the ocean is an integral part of every facet of the lives of the people of Hawaii; and

     WHEREAS, Hawaii is the proud steward of the largest portion of protected ocean in the world with coral reef ecosystems that contain over five thousand known species of marine plants and animals; and

     WHEREAS, World Ocean Day is an opportunity to educate the public, adults and children alike, about conserving and protecting our fragile marine environment; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Governor is requested to proclaim June 8th of every year as World Ocean Day; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Hawaii's congressional delegation, and to the Mayor and the Chairperson of the Council of each county.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

World Ocean Day; June 8th