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Knowledge about the ocean’s role in climate change
and variability, and of climate’s role in impacting ocean
ecosystem services on which human populations depend
is key in developing sustainable development strategies.
This knowledge can only be developed through sustained
observation and monitoring of the ocean’s climate and
ecosystems.
iii) Pollution and Waste
Marine pollution from land based sources such as agricultural
run-off, untreated sewage, and discharge of nutrients
and pesticides from land has long been a serious problem
in coastal areas, despite long standing international agreement
on cause and effect, and options for mitigation. The
management of non point source pollution is as much an
institutional issue as it is an industry issue – governments
have historically been unwilling or unable to enact and/or
enforce the regulations needed to reduce or remove the
problem.
The disposal of waste is also a serious constraint to
sustainable development. Agricultural practices, coastal
tourism, port and harbour developments, damming of rivers,
urban development and construction, mining, fisheries,
aquaculture, and manufacturing, among others, are all
sources of marine pollution threatening coastal and marine
habitats.
The occurrence of marine and coastal hypoxic areas
or ‘dead zones’ has been increasing at a massive rate in
recent years with increased population growth and urbanisation,
economic development, and expansion of agriculture.
These zones result from a roughly three-fold increase
in global loads of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus to
the oceans since pre-industrial times from both agricultural
run-off and poorly or untreated sewage. This results in
coastal eutrophication characterised by excessive plankton
growth, consumption of oxygen by decaying plankton,
and low oxygen/hypoxic conditions with associated
impacts on ecosystems. Based on a business as usual
model of nitrogen input to the world’s LMEs, it is estimated
that fluxes of dissolved inorganic nitrogen to the oceans
will increase by an additional 50% by 2050 10 .
The shortage of land area and resources available for
safe disposal of solid and liquid wastes makes the management
of waste an especially critical issue for SIDS.
Since long-term waste disposal options in SIDS are limited,
there is a need to look for ways of minimising and/or
converting wastes such as sewage into a resource (e.g.
fertiliser for agriculture).
As the world saw in 2010, the Gulf of Mexico deepwater
oil spill had a devastating effect on the entire marine
ecosystem, as well as the populations that depend on the
marine areas for their livelihoods. Improving technological
capacity, coupled with increased volatility of secure oil
supplies mean there is likely to be more deep water drilling
for oil and gas, as well as increased exploration and exploitation
of rare minerals that have to date been too difficult
or expensive to access from the seabed but for which
security of land-based supplies is limited and volatile. This
poses pollution risk which, although being assessed and
mitigated through prevention, preparedness and response
capabilities by relevant organisations and the shipping, oil
and gas industries, are still significant.
In addition to land based and marine pollution, plastic
materials and other litter are widespread in the ocean
10.
Sherman, K., S. Adams (eds). (2010). Sustainable Development of the World’s Large Marine
Ecosystems during Climate Change: A commemorative volume to advance sustainable development
on the occasion of the presentation of the 2010 Göteborg Award. Gland, Switzerland:
IUCN.
A BLUEPRINT FOR OCEAN AND COASTAL SUSTAINABILITY 13