Report on Major Oceanic Threats and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Analysis of Major Threats to Ocean Health

Several anthropogenic activities pose a severe risk to marine biodiversity and ecosystems, directly undermining progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

1. Global Warming

   The widespread combustion of fossil fuels is increasing global temperatures, with profound implications for marine environments. This threat directly challenges the objectives of several SDGs.

   • SDG 13 (Climate Action): Increased greenhouse gas emissions are the primary driver of climate change, which this goal seeks to combat.
   • SDG 14 (Life Below Water): Rising ocean temperatures and melting polar ice contribute to sea-level rise, which degrades coastal habitats and threatens marine biodiversity (Target 14.2).
   • SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): With 40 percent of the world’s population living in coastal areas, rising sea levels threaten human settlements and infrastructure. The fact that only 15 percent of coastlines are ecologically intact exacerbates this vulnerability.

2. Pesticides

   Chemicals from agricultural practices contaminate marine ecosystems through surface runoff and spray drift, harming marine life and undermining sustainable development.

   • SDG 14 (Life Below Water): Pesticide pollution can lead to oxygen depletion in coastal waters, killing marine organisms and causing the collapse of fisheries, which directly contravenes the goal of sustainable fishing (Target 14.4).
   • SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation): Agricultural runoff pollutes water sources, impacting water quality for both ecosystems and human use (Target 6.3).
   • SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): This issue highlights the need for the environmentally sound management of chemicals and a shift towards sustainable agricultural practices (Target 12.4).

3. Industrial Waste

   The discharge of waste from industrial plants introduces toxic chemicals, sewage, and excess nutrients into the oceans, causing significant harm.

   • SDG 14 (Life Below Water):
     1. Ocean Acidification: The absorption of excess carbon dioxide from industrial emissions increases ocean acidity, threatening shelled organisms and coral reefs (Target 14.3).
     2. Eutrophication: Nutrient-rich wastewater leads to algal blooms that block sunlight and deplete oxygen, damaging coastal ecosystems (Target 14.2).
     3. Pollution: The direct discharge of toxic chemicals and trash harms marine life and degrades habitats (Target 14.1).
   • SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production): The release of industrial pollutants into the environment represents a failure to achieve the environmentally sound management of waste (Target 12.4).

Mitigation Strategies and SDG Alignment

Conservation efforts and policy changes are crucial for mitigating these threats and advancing the SDGs.

• Creation of Marine Reserves: Establishing expansive marine protected areas is a key strategy for conserving marine biodiversity. This directly supports SDG Target 14.5, which calls for the conservation of at least 10 percent of coastal and marine areas.
• Reduction of Destructive Fishing Practices: Implementing measures to reduce harmful fishing techniques is essential for the sustainability of marine ecosystems and fisheries. This aligns with SDG Target 14.4, which aims to end overfishing, illegal fishing, and destructive fishing practices.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 14: Life Below Water

  This is the most directly addressed goal. The article focuses on major threats to the ocean, including pollution from pesticides and industrial waste, the impacts of global warming like rising sea levels and ocean acidification, and the need to protect marine biodiversity and reduce destructive fishing practices.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  The article explicitly identifies “Global warming” as a major threat, linking the burning of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions to rising ocean temperatures, melting ice, and rising sea levels. It also connects excess carbon dioxide emissions from factories to ocean acidification.

• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

  This goal is connected through the discussion of pollution sources. The article mentions industrial waste, including sewage, toxic chemicals, and trash being discharged into oceans, and the use of pesticides in agriculture that run off into coastal waters. This points to the need for environmentally sound management of chemicals and wastes.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.

     The article directly supports this target by detailing pollution from land-based sources such as “Pesticides” from agriculture, “Industrial waste” like “sewage, toxic chemicals, and even trash,” and wastewater containing “nitrogen and phosphorous” that leads to algal blooms.

   • Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts…

     The article highlights the urgency of this target by stating that only “15 percent of coastline are ecologically intact.” The proposed solution to create “expansive marine reserves to protect marine biodiversity” is a direct action towards achieving this target.

   • Target 14.3: Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification…

     This target is explicitly mentioned. The article states that excess carbon dioxide from factories “is absorbed into the ocean, causing ocean acidification and coral bleaching events.”

   • Target 14.4: By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end… destructive fishing practices…

     The article points to the negative impacts of unsustainable fishing by mentioning the “collapse of a fishery in Japan” and identifies a key solution as finding “ways to reduce destructive fishing practices.”

2. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

     The article connects to this target by highlighting the threat of “rising sea levels” to “coastal populations,” noting that “40 percent of the world’s population lives within 62 miles of a coastline.” This underscores the need for coastal communities to adapt to climate-related hazards.

3. SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

   • Target 12.4: By 2020, achieve the environmentally sound management of chemicals and all wastes throughout their life cycle… and significantly reduce their release to air, water and soil…

     The article discusses the harmful effects of chemicals from “Pesticides” and “toxic chemicals” from “Industrial waste” being discharged into the oceans, directly relating to the need for better management of these substances to prevent water pollution.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

While the article does not cite official SDG indicators, it mentions several quantifiable metrics and concepts that can serve as or relate to indicators for measuring progress:

• Index of coastal eutrophication and floating plastic debris density (Indicator 14.1.1): The article implies this by discussing nutrient pollution (“nitrogen and phosphorous”) from wastewater which leads to “algal blooms,” a key component of eutrophication.
• Proportion of national exclusive economic zones managed using ecosystem-based approaches (Indicator 14.2.1): The mention that only “15 percent of coastline are ecologically intact” serves as a baseline measurement for the health of coastal ecosystems. Progress could be measured by an increase in this percentage.
• Average marine acidity (pH) measured at agreed suite of representative sampling stations (Indicator 14.3.1): The direct mention of “ocean acidification” implies that measuring the ocean’s pH level is a critical indicator for tracking this threat.
• Proportion of fish stocks within biologically sustainable levels (Indicator 14.4.1): The reference to the “collapse of a fishery in Japan” implies the need to monitor fish stock levels to prevent them from falling to unsustainable points.
• Greenhouse gas emissions (Relates to SDG 13): The article identifies the “widespread burning of fossil fuels” and “greenhouse gas emissions” as the root cause of global warming impacting the ocean. Measuring these emissions is a key indicator for climate action.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: nationalgeographic.com