Environment and the Challenges of Global Governance Essay

Introduction

Human beings exist on a blue planet since the oceans amount to approximately three quarters of the Earth’s surface. Thus, the issue of marine pollution is extremely dangerous as the impact of all the waste floating in the work’s oceans impacts the environment tremendously. This problem is a global concern because it has an effect on all of the countries in terms of their economy, climate shifts, natural disasters, and, most importantly, the health of their citizens.

Hence, collective action is required in order to battle ocean pollution. Inter-governmental organizations, private institutions, governments, and other institutions must collaborate to successfully reduce the amount of waste in the world’s oceans. It is apparent that there are many obstacles in the way of implementing effective solutions to the issue. The purpose of this essay is to examine the challenges marine pollution presents to global governance. In addition, this paper focuses on the connection between a consistent Christian worldview and environmentalism.

Nature and Scope of the Selected Environmental Issue

Marine pollution is a growing global concern, which requires immediate action from the international community. Although there different types of ocean waste, including noise and light contamination, plastic and chemical pollution are the primary ones¹. Chemical pollution is often referred to as nutrient contamination, which predominantly occurs due to human activities in the agricultural industry. Once the chemicals from fertilizers used in farms runoff into waterways, the possibility of them ending up in the ocean is extremely high. Chemicals such as nitrogen and phosphorous² lead to the creation of algal blooms that are toxic for both humans and wildlife.

It is important to note that apart from the health concerns, chemical contamination often results in economic downturns. Algal blooms can hurt local fishing or cause the decline of tourism in the area, which affects its economic prosperity.

As for the plastic pollution, human waste creates marine debris, which are made out of plastic bags, bottles, wrapping, and cigarette butts. Storm winds contribute to the growth of these trash islands. However, poor waste management is the main area of concern when it comes to plastic pollution of the oceans. Plastic waste is particularly dangerous because of how long it takes for pollutants such as shopping bags and food wrappers to decompose. It is crucial to add that the amount of plastic floating in the Atlantic Ocean is now three times as big³ as it has been in the 1960s. A great visual representation of the problem is the Pacific Ocean’s biggest garbage patch, which is almost 620,000 miles, making it twice as large as Texas⁴. There is no doubt that plastic pollution is a massive issue, which continues to get bigger.

The scope of the issue is huge since it affects both animals and humans. Fish get stuck in the debris, while some birds and corals mistake plastic for food. Certain organisms feed on small plastic particles referred to as microplastic⁵. As a result, they absorb the toxic chemicals, which are then transferred to larger animals who eat them. Thus, the plastic pollution travels up the food chain until it reaches humans.

Why Is This Issue Global?

The issue of ocean pollution is truly a global one and cannot be resolved using only local or regional instruments. First, it is evident that the marine waste poses a number of threats for all the countries and billions of people. The effect contamination has on the food chain is especially concerning since it is proved that microplastic is the main source of cancer-causing toxins in food⁶. Second, plastic and chemical pollution affects biodiversity by harming wildlife. Apart from that, economies suffer from the impact concentrations of trash have on fishing and tourism. Most importantly, while talking about ocean pollution, it is crucial to mention the role oceans play in climate change. The planet’s largest bodies of water absorb approximately one third of all the carbon dioxide produced as a result of human activity⁷. Although such acidification of the oceans is a problem in and of itself, the role of the oceans as a buffer for some of the effects of climate change is apparent.

In order to assess the scope of the problem, it is essential to look at the existing data. 275 million of plastic is produced annually, with around 5 to 10 million being dumped into the sea⁸, either deliberately or not. The popularity of easily disposable single-use items made out of plastic leads to the unfortunate projections regarding the seriousness of marine pollution. The recent instances of finding marine animals with plastic blocking their digestive tracts⁹ further emphasizes the urgency of this problem. In 2006, the United Nations Environment Program calculated that each square mile of the ocean has 46,000 pieces of plastic floating on its surface¹⁰.

It is worth mentioning that scientists conclude that by 2050 there is going to be more plastic than fish in the planet’s oceans¹¹. Hence, the issue of marine pollution is a global concern, which impacts the entirety of human population.

The Need for Collective Action to Battle the Primary Obstacles

Protecting the planet is not just a global concern but truly a responsibility of all of the governments. Leaders worldwide have to recognize the urgency the issue of marine pollution has. The main challenges, which arise while trying to develop or implement the appropriate solutions, are the lack of cooperation between nations in regards to environmental issues as well as the fragmentation of marine waste. In short, what makes the issue of ocean pollution global also contributes to its disregard or neglect. Only 6% of the litter¹² floats on the surface, which makes it hard to point fingers and decide what nation should take responsibility for its management.

It is rather hard to organize clean-up activities due to the waste’s dynamic transportation as well. Thus, political leaders choose not to engage in any efforts of reducing the contamination because they believe the problem does not involve them¹³. As long as waste does not directly affect their economies, countries remain silent or simply choose to focus on other issues.

It is apparent that one of the main obstacles in resolving the issue of global ocean pollution is the fact that the international community decides to prioritize other problems. Even when leaders and representatives discuss the current state of the environment, they tend to focus only on global warming¹⁴. However, in order to attract the attention of climate change activists in global politics, it is crucial to inform them of the role oceans play in reducing the impact of climate change. If managed sustainably, the planet’s oceans can reduce the carbon dioxide emissions by anywhere between 6% and 21%.¹⁵ Although there are some major obstacles related to resolving the issue of marine pollution, there is immense potential once various members of the international community come together.

Integrating Environmentalism into the Christian Worldview

Although the coordination of efforts from global political leaders is essential to battle the issue of ocean pollution, it is also important to acknowledge the potential religious communities have in developing and implementing the appropriate solutions. Christian faith is usually considered anthropocentric¹⁶ rather than biocentric due to the common interpretation of the scripture. Recently, there has been an increased interest in environmentalism expressed by devoted Christians¹⁷, which originated some debates regarding the connection between the Christian faith and the fight for environmental injustice. There is certainly some parts of the Bible, which justify the existence and the rising numbers of Christian environmentalists. For example, Adam’s initial sole purpose is to take care of the Garden of Eve. In addition, Christians can express compassion and their commitment to God by keeping its creations¹⁸, the Earth being one of the most important ones, well-protected.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the issue of marine pollution is an extremely serious one. In order to reduce the amount of litter in the oceans and integrate efficient waste management solutions, it is crucial to engage all of the members of the international community as well as private organizations. As for the role Christians can play in such solutions, the Christian worldview should implement more environmentalist ideas since it is the obligation of humans to take care of God’s creations.

Bibliography

African Development Bank. “World Environment Day: Collective Action Must Be Taken to Beat Plastic Pollution in Africa.” 2018. Web.

Future Agenda. “Plastic Oceans.” 2021. Web.

Howard, Jenny. “Marine Pollution, Explained.” 2019. Web.

Kang, Kiera. “The 5 C’s of Christian Environmentalism.” 2019. Web.

McGlade, Jacqueline, and Philip Landrigan. “Why Ocean Pollution Is a Clear Danger to Human Health.” The Conversation. 2021. Web.

Nature Senior Editorial Staff. “World Leaders Are Waking Up to the Ocean’s Role in a Healthy Planet.” Nature 588, (2020): 7-8. Web.

United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. “Facts and Figures on Marine Pollution.” 2017. Web.

Footnotes

1. Jenny Howard, “Marine Pollution, Explained,” 2019. Web.
2. Ibid.
3. Jacqueline McGlade and Philip Landrigan, “Why Ocean Pollution Is a Clear Danger to Human Health,” The Conversation, 2021. Web.
4. Howard, “Marine Pollution, Explained.”
5. McGlade and Landrigan, “Why Ocean Pollution Is a Clear Danger to Human Health.”
6. McGlade and Landrigan, “Why Ocean Pollution Is a Clear Danger to Human Health.”
7. Future Agenda, “Plastic Oceans,” 2021. Web.
8. Ibid.
9. Ibid.
10. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, “Facts and Figures on Marine Pollution,” 2017. Web.
11. Future Agenda, “Plastic Oceans.”
12. Nature Senior Editorial Staff, “World Leaders Are Waking Up to the Ocean’s Role in a Healthy Planet,” Nature 588, (2020): 7. Web.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. Nature Senior Editorial Staff, “World Leaders Are Waking Up to the Ocean’s Role in a Healthy Planet,” 7.
16. Kiera Kang, “The 5 C’s of Christian Environmentalism,” 2019. Web.
17. Ibid.
18. Ibid.