2 Marine

UNESCO: Marine
Pollution
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Marine Pollution
What is polluting our Oceans?
Land-based sources (such as agricultural run-off, discharge of nutrients and pesticides and
untreated sewage including plastics) account for approximately 80% of marine pollution,
globally. Marine habitats worldwide are contaminated with man-made debris. Oil spills re-
main a concern, though actual spills have decreased steadily for several decades.
How is this pollution threatening our Oceans?
Picture 1 © Chris Deacutis
Excessive nutrients from sewage outfalls and agricultural runoff have contributed to the in-
creasing incidence of low oxygen (hypoxic) areas known as dead zones, where most marine
life cannot survive, resulting in the collapse of some ecosystems. There are now close to
500 dead zones with a total global surface area of over 245 000 km², roughly equivalent to
that of the United Kingdom. The excess nitrogen can also stimulate the proliferation of sea-
weeds and microorganisms and cause algal blooms. Such blooms can be harmful (HABs),
causing massive fish kills, contaminating seafood with toxins and altering ecosystems.
Litter can accumulate in huge floating garbage patches or wash up on the coasts. Light, res-
istant plastics float in the Oceans, releasing contaminants as they break down into toxic mi-
cro-particles that animals mistake for food. Fish and birds can choke on these particles, get
sick as they accumulate in their stomachs, or become entangled in larger debris.
As the world saw in 2010, the Gulf of Mexico deep-water 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. Smaller oil spills happen every day, due to drilling incidents or leaking mo-
tors, and cause the death of birds, marine mammals, algae, fish and shellfish.
How does this affect me?
Picture 2: © IOC UNESCO
Some beaches are already closed to the public because the water is unsuitable for bathing
and the beach is covered with litter. Micro-plastics and plastic pellets are found on most
beaches around the world. Pollution also poisons our food. The toxins and plastic ingested
by fish and shellfish end up in our plates, and the consumption of shellfish and other seafood
is often banned briefly to avoid food poisoning.
This pollution costs the fishing and shipping industry millions of dollars:
 Discarded plastic bags get caught in boat propellers and cooling intakes, damaging
the engines.
 Loss of habitat and biodiversity is increasingly impairing the ocean’s capacity to
provide food and other services. The extinction of fish species could lead to starva-
tion or under-nourishment.
 Ghost fishing that occurs when discarded fishing nets entangle marine life indiscrim-
inately, as they continue to float in the oceans, reduce fishers’ revenues from lost
catch.
Competition over declining resources and services provided by the oceans can cause ten-
sions and conflicts locally and internationally.
A culture of peace is a culture of sustainable development
The oceans are a vital source of nourishment, especially to people in the world’s poorest na-
tions. Many depend on fish for their primary source of protein; fisheries and aquaculture sup-
port the livelihoods of about 540 million people (8% of the world’s population) directly or in-
directly. Overfishing, loss of biodiversity and the possible extinction of species put a stress
on these limited resources. This could lead to famine, increased poverty and conflicts, in-
cluding war. Learning to manage our ocean sustainably is the only path to global prosperity
and peace.
What can I do?
Picture 3: © NOAA
 Find out as much as you can about this problem and educate your friends.
 Get involved: there are probably clean-up efforts happening near you!
 Do not discard anything near the coast, when you go to the beach make sure you
pick up after yourself.
 Ban toxic products from your boat-maintenance and do not throw anything over-
board. Use and overflow system to avoid oil spills, and maintain your boat regularly
to avoid leaks.
 Try to green your household and gardening chemical products, use them sparingly
and wisely. Do not use fertilizers before it rains or pour oil or chemicals down the
drain: they would just end up in the ocean!
 Try to avoid using single-serving plastic items and replace them by reusable items
(cloth bags, reusable cups and silverware, non-plastic bottles).
 Refuse excess packaging, try to re-use and recycle as much as possible. Remember
that very little of the plastic produced each year is actually recycled and much of it
finds its way to the oceans.
What is IOC UNESCO doing?

IOC UNESCO (Question 2.6) believes that science in support of sustainable management is
the cornerstone of the preservation of our oceans and their resources. Its Nutrients and
Coastal Impacts Research Programme focuses on interactions between climate, nutrients,
and coastal dynamics, and the challenges and opportunities that resulting ecosystem
changes pose for tourism, institutions and governance. Through this activity, IOC is an active
partner in the Global Partnership for Nutrient Management, which strives to deliver better
tools for management of nutrient loading to the marine environment.
Its Harmful Algal Bloom Programme aims to foster the effective management of, and sci-
entific research on, harmful algal blooms in order to understand their causes, predict their
occurrences, and mitigate their effects.
Little is known about the full environmental impacts of marine litter, especially in the open
oceans where there is almost no information. Trends over time and the effectiveness of
management systems are hard to assess without good monitoring methodologies. IOC UN-
ESCO and the UNEP published Guidelines on Survey and Monitoring of Marine Litter to as-
sist policy makers in addressing this problem of monitoring and assessment of marine litter.
IOC UNESCO is a sponsor of the joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine
Environmental Protection (GESAMP), the United Nations mechanism for collaboration and
coordination which conducts assessments and in-depth studies to evaluate the state of the
marine environment, including socio-economic aspects, and identify emerging issues. The
Commission is coordinating the GESAMP Working Group 40 on ‘Sources, fate and effects of
micro-plastics in the environment’.
Keeping the world's oceans and seas under continuing review by integrating existing inform-
ation from different disciplines will help to improve the responses from national governments
and the international community to the unprecedented environmental changes now occur-
ring.
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UNESCO: Marine

How is this pollution threatening our Oceans?

Picture 1 © Chris Deacutis

How does this affect me?

Picture 2: © IOC UNESCO

What can I do?

What is IOC UNESCO doing?

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