The ocean plays a vital role in our ecosystem, producing a significant portion of our oxygen and acting as a climate regulator. It supports an incredible amount of life on Earth. However, ocean pollution has become a pressing global issue that directly impacts human health and poses a massive environmental crisis. While it predominantly refers to pollution in seas and oceans, marine pollution postures serious threats to the health of coastal areas, oceans, and waterways worldwide. This issue is widely recognized at the native, local, national, and global levels.
Marine litter not only harms the environment but also has socioeconomic implications for industries such as tourism, fishing and aquaculture, and shipping. The major causes of marine pollution stem from various urban and rural sources, including solid and liquid waste from cities, fertilizer and manure runoff from agriculture practices, air emissions from shipping activities, as well as improper disposal of plastic waste originating from land-based and sea-based sources. Addressing these issues requires concerted efforts at all levels to mitigate the negative impact on our precious oceans.
Water pollution and Global Warming:
According to scientists, the greenhouse effect is brought on by an increase in carbon dioxide brought on by urbanization, deforestation, and industrial development. The Earth's atmosphere becomes warmer, the seas become more acidic, sea levels rise, and precipitation patterns shift as a result of this process, which traps heat from the Sun. Also produced by human activity are harmful greenhouse gasses. The problems of fast industrialization, urbanization, burning fossil fuels, clearing forests, and raising livestock include global warming and water contamination. As a result of rising sea temperatures, aquatic life may perish and marine habitats may be disrupted, as in the case of worldwide reef bleaching.
Eighty percent of the pollution that affects the marine environment is thought to originate from land. Water pollution is mostly caused by two main factors. Both biological and chemical pollutants are present. In general, there are two categories in which marine pollution is discussed:
(i) Chemical pollution: the majority of this pollution originates on land and enters the ocean. Agronomists regularly apply pesticides, fertilizers, and herbicides to increase yields and guard against illnesses and pests. As a result of their being deposited in lakes, rivers, wetlands, coastal waterways, and ground waters by intense rainfall. Additionally, these chemicals are swept into gutters, streams, and rivers by rainfall, where they eventually end up in marine ecosystems. The term "non-point source pollution" (N.P.S. pollution) describes this kind of pollution.
(ii) Garbage and debris pollution: Trash and rubbish are interchangeable terms that refer to the waste that comes from bathrooms and kitchens. In essence, it is made up of waste that is organic, food waste, clothes waste, food container trash, paper garbage, etc. Even though trash is mostly made up of smaller fragments of once-manmade objects like plastic bags, drink bottles, balloons, etc., all of these can end up as marine debris due to dumping, which causes pollution in the ocean. Rivers may carry this pollutants or it may be released straight into coastal waters.
Ocean pollution caused by sewage:
Rainfall, air pollution, and daily oil emissions from car/motor engines all contribute to water pollution, which eventually ends up in the seas. The problem of pollution from land entering coastal seas poses a risk to the ecology and disrupts the natural cycle of climate change.
The dumping of raw sewage disturbs marine ecosystems, harms mangroves, contaminates fish, and results in operational problems, health risks, increased dredging costs, and a decrease in fish exports. Therefore, it is imperative that states set up treatment facilities, disconnect sewage flows from the storm water drainage system, and move all sewage to treatment plants so that it can be processed before being disposed of.
Pollution by ships:
Sea transportation plays a relatively small role in the marine pollution caused by human activity when compared to land-based sectors as a whole. In addition to having a catastrophic impact on human health, livelihood, marine ecosystem, and harbor infrastructure, the dirty/septic water is also having a major negative impact on the maritime commercial activities. Pollution always leads to typical maintenance and repair problems for marine crafts irrespective their size. As a result, shipping transportation bears a significant additional cost to keep the campaigns functioning. Understanding the value of a clean environment on land as well as at sea, states must adopt a strategy to counteract the threat posed by marine pollution in accordance with the IMO Conventions, including MARPOL 1973/78. In order to restrict the entry of floatable material into coastal waters, port authorities had to keep in mind to place debris containment booms or nets at several key locations within the ports. Since human activity is the main source of ocean pollution, it is our responsibility to help find a solution. Governments should plan public awareness efforts to control marine pollution.
Natural causes of pollution:
Nonpoint causes of pollution include dust, wind-blown debris, and agricultural runoff. Marine pollution is naturally caused by storm water discharge and extreme natural phenomena like hurricanes and tsunamis. It covers things like dust storms, pollen, and forest fires.
Global Marine pollution:
To address Marine pollution, it is crucial to intercept and properly dispose of plastic waste before it enters the river. Various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are actively working on developing innovative solutions to remove plastic from the ocean and ensure clean waters for future generations. In an effort to minimize the impact of fishing vessels on the environment and promote sustainability, the MarineEnvironment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has introduced a plan aimed at reducing marine plastic waste generated by ships. This initiative seeks to improve environmental sustainability by decreasing plastic pollution and its detrimental effects on marine ecosystems. By acknowledging these challenges and taking concerted action, we can make significant progress in preserving our oceans' health and promoting a sustainable future for all.
In order to ensure the safety of marine habitats, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has developed effective solutions to reduce underwater noise generated by ships and has implemented measures to prevent accidents between ships and marine mammals. As the international governing body for maritime affairs, IMO strictly prohibits the discharge of hazardous waste from ships and the dumping of garbage at sea through its Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and OtherMatter policy, commonly known as the London Convention. Today, our oceans face numerous unique challenges including overfishing, pollution, and climate change. These issues have caused significant disruptions to ecosystems and increased acidity levels in many major fisheries around the world. It is imperative that we address these challenges immediately and with utmost urgency in order to safeguard our precious oceanic resources.
Our responsibility:
The importance of the ocean goes far beyond the way it looks. In addition to being an essential source of food, jobs, and economic expansion, it regulates the climate. It is up to us all to work together to conserve and maintain this priceless resource effectively. It is our responsibility as responsible citizens to educate the public about practical ocean conservation methods in addition to educating ourselves. Furthermore, we need to consciously choose actions that put the health of our world first because some businesses still engage in destructive practices that endanger marine life. By putting environmental stewardship first, we demonstrate our unshakable commitment to safeguarding our shared future and uphold our corporate social responsibility ideals.