International Black Sea Day

It is difficult to meet a person indifferent to the sea The love for the sea coast unites us during the summer holidays, and it just so happens that the most accessible vacation spot for the countries of the post-Soviet space was and is the Black Sea But few people know that October 31 has been proclaimed International Black Sea Day On this date in 1996, in the Turkish port city of Istanbul, representatives of the Russian Federation, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Georgia and Turkey signed a plan for the strategic rescue of the Black Sea The importance of this plan has become urgent due to the increasing threat of destruction of the unique natural complexes of the water area This date is not just a celebration, it is an occasion to think about the importance of maintaining a normal ecosystem of the most important natural object for the life of people and the entire planet Due to its geographical position, being the inland waters of the Atlantic Ocean, the Black Sea is under the influence of human activity along the entire coast Its waters wash the shores of 6 states: Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Bulgaria, Georgia and Abkhazia The Black Sea territories developed under the direct influence of the maritime neighborhood, providing: - trade routes, - strategic location, - economic basis, - cultural exchange These truths were known to the ancient Greeks, who founded their colonies on the coast of Pontus Aksinsky Greek sailors named the formidable waters Pontus Aksinsky or the Inhospitable Sea Other ancient Greek sources indicate the name - Scythian, and Arabic records mention the designation Russian But the Russians did not have the sea for long, and throughout the 18th century the Russian Empire participated in numerous battles, victories in which made it possible to seize access to the Black Sea Since the 18th century, scientific study of marine geography, currents, flora and fauna began Research continued throughout the 19th and 20th centuries By the end of the 20th century, a collection of detailed navigation maps was released, an oceanographic platform was erected, and international environmental monitoring became mandatory A detailed study of the sea has shown that the human factor does not always have a positive effect on its ecological condition And under the influence of the technological revolution of recent decades, the Black Sea has become the most polluted in the world The most dangerous polluting factors include: - the condition of river arteries carrying fertilizers from fields; - oil and petroleum products carried from port waters and by carrier tankers; - human waste, including wastewater In addition, the normal ecosystem of the Black Sea basin is disrupted by bottom trawling, mass fishing, mutations of marine life under the influence of human activity All of the above together makes us think about the inevitability of forecasters about the complete disappearance of the sea in its original form in the near future, as well as about its complete unsuitability for proximity to people The threat of a possible catastrophe becomes more obvious every year, so on October 31, environmental campaigns, cleanup companies, and beach flash mobs are held along the entire Black Sea coast But the main actions should be the education of environmental ethics among all residents of coastal zones, as well as among vacationers and tourists who fill the still attractive beaches of the Black Sea basin in the warm season After all, if we don’t come to our senses now, the common misfortune will affect the current younger generation And today’s children will no longer have access to a wonderful holiday on the Black Sea coast