Our oceans and their inhabitants are being decimated by overfishing and marine pollution, particularly plastic debris.  As well, climate change is causing ocean acidification and warming, which is also threatening the life of many ocean organisms.  Not only are marine animals dying, many of them are enduring pain and needless suffering as repercussions of human actions.  We need our oceans to survive.  Not only do they provide us with food, jobs, transport, and pleasure, they also control our climate and provide approximately half of the oxygen we breathe.  If we don’t take the necessary steps to stop this devastation, we will not only engender the loss of substantial marine life, but also the loss of substantial human life.

The educational material contained in the presentations on the Nereida website is intended to promote awareness of what is happening to our oceans, and to inspire actions that will work towards healthier oceans.  It consists of a series of PowerPoint presentations (available as PDF files), which have been set up so that they contain all the information necessary to be presented by a teacher, or read by an individual, without prior knowledge of the subjects.  They cover the importance of our oceans, marine pollution, including plastic debris, overfishing, and climate change and are available in both English and Spanish.  The presentations can be utilized individually or as a series.

The main focus of the presentations is to educate upper grade high school/first year university students.  However, the material is relevant for anyone who is interested in substantial information on the impacts of human activities on our oceans.