While the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily reduced pollution in oceans, recovery efforts need to build a new reality, along with sustainability. Explain (200 Words)
Refer - The Hindu
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 5 years
KEY POINTS
· For generations, the Asia-Pacific region has thrived on our seas. The seas provide food, livelihoods and a sense of identity, especially for coastal communities in the Pacific island states.
· Levels of overfishing have exponentially increased, leaving fish stocks and food systems vulnerable. Marine plastic pollution coursing through the region’s rivers has contributed to most of the debris flooding the ocean.
· Data are available for only two out of ten targets for the Sustainable Development Goal 14, ‘Life Below Water’. Due to limitations in methodology and national statistical systems, information gaps have persisted at uneven levels across countries.
· Asia and the Pacific produces nearly half of global plastic by volume, of which it consumes 38%. Plastics represent a double burden for the ocean: their production generates CO2 absorbed by the ocean, and as a final product enters the ocean as pollution. Beating this challenge will hinge upon effective national policies and re-thinking production cycles.
· Environmental decline is also affecting fish stocks. Our region’s position as the world’s largest producer of fish has come at the cost of over-exploitation. The percentage of stocks fished at unsustainable levels has increased threefold from 10% in 1974 to 33% in 2015.
· The magnitude of our ocean and its challenges represent how extensive and collaborative our solutions must be. Trans-boundary ocean management and linking ocean data call for close cooperation among countries in the region.
· Harnessing ocean statistics through strong national statistical systems will serve as a compass guiding countries to monitor trends, devise timely responses and clear blind spots. Through the Ocean Accounts Partnership, ESCAP is working with countries to harmonise ocean data and provide a space for regular dialogue.
· We must fully equip countries and all ocean custodians to localise global agreements into tangible results. ESCAP is working with member states to implement International Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements.
Deepika 5 years
Please give feedback.
IAS Parliament 5 years
Good attempt. Keep Writing.
aswin 5 years
Marine pollution is a cocktail of multiple factors like plastic litter, ship debris, oil spills, unsustainable co2 emissions which led to ocean acidification, ocean deoxygenation, overfishing and mineral exploration.
however recent trend shows that due to covid19 lockdown there is positive externality on the ocean in the form of reduction of pollution level.
some reasons can be
a) due to reduction of transportation.
b) reduction in plastic litter disposal
c) reduction in fishing
Hoever to make these signs everlasting more efforts are required such as
a) Implementation of UNCLOS : for example recent reduction in sulfur content.
b) Data : study by UNESCAP shows the lack of data availability. To plan any solution robust data is required like data of fishing, data of local practices to handle the pollution etc.
c) plan to save the biodiversity : from over fishing and also co2 led acidification. which require implementation of Paris agreement and NDC targets.
d) Global collaboration and cooperation from aggressive economy to sustainable ecology.
e) support to least developed, developing and specially island nations which are at the receiving end, from financial to technical support.
f) Indias roll : India can be focal point of these effort in Indian ocean and Indo pacific region through its initiative like SAGAR.
there is no one time solution when it comes to tackle such task. what need to be done is a continuous bit by bit effort to not only sustain the ecology but also to sustain the process itself.
IAS Parliament 5 years
Avoid listing out points and explain them in few lines, try to include shipping specifically in transportation. Keep Writing.
Aradhana Tiwari 5 years
The coronavirus weighs on the world economy, with an unexpected corollary - a fall in greenhouse gas emissions, reduction in pollution levels in oceans, etc. But this good news could only be temporary without any sustainable recovery efforts.
Before adopting any recovery efforts which are sustainable in nature, we need to first know about what causes pollution in oceans.
>>> Causes of pollution in oceans :
- An ocean-based industry "Shipping" - directly affects the health of the marine ecosystem.
- Discarded fishing gear including traps and nets.
- Continental plastic litter such as Food Wrappers & Containers, Bottles and container caps, Plastic bags, Straws and stirrers etc. enters the ocean largely through storm-water runoff.
- Merchant ships, sewage, used medical equipment, and other types of waste contain plastic into the ocean.
>>> Recovery efforts :
• Economic activity from shipping needs to be sustainable.
• We must also work with the shipping community to navigate towards green shipping.
• Enforcing sustainable shipping policies is essential to mitigate maritime pollution.
• Generating complete data on fish stocks, fighting illicit fishing activity and conserving marine areas must remain a priority.
• Close cooperation among countries is need of the hour for trans-boundary ocean management and linking of ocean data.
• Translating international agreements and standards into national action is also a key.
• Corporations needs to rethink about recycling plans and sustainable commitments.
• Promote "circular economy approach" to keep our oceans plastic free. One such solutions can be packaging innovation.
>>> Conclusion :
Our oceans keep our economy and our lives above the waves. In the post-COVID-19 era, we must use the years ahead to steer our collective fleets toward sustainable oceans.
IAS Parliament 5 years
Try to include about the report of UNESCAP, also some findings from the report. Keep Writing.
