Life Below Water
Life Below Water
“ We destroy life,
and we pollute the oceans and skies, yet we have the audacity to call ourselves
superior beings” -Anthony D Williams
Introduction
It was not the land but the seas and oceans
where the first signs of life appeared in the form of single-celled organisms.
Over three-quarters of Earth’s surface is covered by water, rivers and marshes
and contains 99% of the living species on the planet by volume. Over three
billion people depend upon the marine and coastal diversity present in the
oceans for their livelihoods [1]. Globally, the value of the coastal
resources is estimated to be USD 3 Trillion per year (close to 5% of global
GDP). Oceans also help to buffer the impact of global warming by absorbing 40%
of the carbon dioxide produced by humans.
Due to the rapid expansion of the human population,
the resources provided by Earth are being misused to the point that it has
severely affected the planet and threatens the survival of human beings. 40% of
the oceans are profoundly affected by human activities, which included
pollution in oceans, loss of coastal habitats. Scientists are finding plastic
waste materials in the stomachs of the corpses of several fishes. IUCN in 2010
has deemed 1,851 species of fish at risk of extinction.
Causes and Impact
Climate Change: Effect on
increased greenhouse emission has a catastrophic effect on the ocean ranging
from ocean acidification, ocean currents, ocean surface temperature to change
in the biochemistry of oceans. This threatens the existence of coral reefs,
fisheries and other aquatic life which thrive on delicate pH balance of the
ocean.
Nutrient Pollution: The effects of
excessive nitrogen and phosphorus substrates, which are usually generated from
agricultural runoffs are cause eutrophication, which leads to an amalgamation
of excess algae in certain parts underwater, leading to lack of oxygen. This
essentially creates 'Dead Zones', where life
can’t underwater can’t survive
Oil spills: An estimated 706 million gallons of oil enters the water bodies every year, with half of it coming from the
drainage and waste disposal from the industries and rest from the oil spills.
It affects the organisms through ingestion and inhalation. Apart from being
toxic, it reduces the ability of marine life to maintain body temperatures.
Over-fishing and Trawling: Trawling is a method through which big nets are thrown deep into the sea
to catch underwater living organisms. Trawling is an infamous primarily due to
the damage caused to the coral and sponge beds. Secondly, trawling is the
source for about half of the discarded fish and marine life globally.
Industrial
Effluents: Activities such
as garbage dumping in rivers, disposal of industrial chemicals and effluents,
Sand dredging has led to an increase in levels of pollution in the Indian
rivers [2]. For example, Yamuna River, which is the lifeline of
Delhi is counted amongst the world’s topmost polluted rivers [3].
The dissolved oxygen levels are near to 0 in the Yamuna, making the river inhabitable
for the life forms [4].
The World bands together
To tackle this and other problems that threaten the
future of our planet, members of the United Nations adopted Sustainable
Development Goals in 2015 with a vision to protect our planet and to ensure
that everyone enjoys peace and prosperity by 2030. As part of these goals, SDG
14 (“Life Below Water“) was specifically created to ensure conservation and
sustainable use of seas, oceans, and marine resources for sustainable
development. It commits countries to work together for the protection of our
oceans and the lives that depend on it. Participating countries also committed
to achieving sustainable management of marine ecosystems by 2020 and a
significant reduction in marine pollution of all kinds in another five years.
Seas and oceans play a significant role in
sustaining other development goals such as eradication of poverty by creating
livelihood opportunities for people living in the coastal areas. Not all the
Carbon Dioxide which is released into the atmosphere is absorbed by it, but
about 40% of it is absorbed directly by
the oceans [5]. The world started recognizing the importance of
water bodies officially from 1992 when Chapter 17 of the United Nations
Conference of Environment and Development for the protection of seas, oceans
and other water bodies. Agenda 21 of the chapter required nations to bring in specific ocean and coastal
area management strategies [6].
As one of the
signatories of SGDs, the Indian Government has taken several initiatives to
tackle the problem of growing pollution in rivers. For the Indian government,
coastal and marine biodiversity protection is a critical area of focus. To
conserve marine ecosystems, the government has undertaken a National Plan for
the Conservation of Aquatic Ecosystems [7]. India has also committed
to specific goals under the SDG program to fulfil, to protect the marine
biodiversity and reduce pollution in rivers, some of which are as follows:
·
Prevention and significant reduction of marine pollution
especially from land-based activities by 2025
·
Sustainably manage and protect coastal and marine
ecosystems to avoid adverse impacts and take action for the restoration to
achieve healthy and productive oceans by 2020
·
By 2020, regulate harvesting and end
overfishing, destructive fishing practices and implementation of science-based
plans to restore fish stocks as soon as possible
·
To conserve at least 10% of coastal and marine
areas, which are consistent with national and international law by 2020.
Business Impact
The process of
controlling the factors that affect life underwater adds to an increase in
cost. However, if used correctly, it can be leveraged to provide economically
benefits.
The pollutants
discharged into the water bodies significantly affect aquatic life. Mercury
levels in fish have increased to dangerous levels. The permissible level of
mercury is 0.5mg/Kg of dry weight, whereas fish and crabs in Mumbai reported
levels reaching 0.82mg/kg and 4.9mg/kg of dry weight, respectively [8].
Presence of mercury at these levels are hazardous to human health, and
therefore this could adversely affect the fishing industries. Ocean
acidification/water pollution is a significant threat to underwater life. UN
Convention on Biological Diversity warns that due to imbalances in water
chemistry is responsible for a higher level of fish mortality, and the market
is expected to lose $1 trillion annually [9]. The biggest loser in
all this is the at-risk fisherman who depends on it solely for their daily sustenance.
Economic models
have suggested that Coral Reefs contribute to generating a net income of $36
billion and around 75 million visits [10]. Massive Bleaching and
death of corals will impact the tourism negatively and thus all those who
depend on tourism as the source of income.
Microplastics
are any plastics fragments that are less than 5 mm in length [11].
They affect the digestive system and alter the eating behaviours of aquatic
life [12]. They are also harmful to humans, and hence their presence
in fish could also affect the population’s perception of fish as a food source.
Microbeads used in personal care products are a source of plastic particle
water pollution and have been banned in countries like the USA, Canada. Their
ban in India would take effect from 2020 [13]. The ban of Microbeads
and general public awareness about the impact of plastics has developed a
pressure on organisations such as P&G, Unilever to rethink the design of
their product, significant effort and the cost is being incurred to find less
harmful materials.
Sewage waste is
a significant contributor to the death of aquatic life. Close to 78 per cent of
untreated sewage water is disposed of in water bodies [14]. This
affects both the life below and above water. To tackle this GoI launched the
Swachh Bharat mission. In this initiative, we can witness the active
involvement of GoI in cleaning up polluted rivers, and seas. Management of
plants that treat the water before being disposed of can be leveraged as an
employment opportunity, helping in the growth of the economy while
simultaneously working towards an SDG. Due to the sudden demand for low-skilled
helpers and cleaners, we can see the improvement in the previously unemployed
workforce. Under the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP), the government has decided to
incur a total of Rs 1514.70 crores [15]. This is a great opportunity for NGOs
and Private organisation to come up and manage the pollution and generate
economic value for themselves.
Algal blooms
which are caused by sewage discharge and excess use of fertilisers, resulting
in the death of aquatic life as the process consumes dissolved oxygen in the
water. Such harmful algal blooms (HAB) have caused losses of $900 million in
the USA in 2011. Measures to control such algal bloom can also provide economic
opportunities such as the use of ultrasound to detect early stages of algal
bloom in large water bodies [16].
Conservation
efforts could also affect businesses, for example, know your fish is a website which suggests which fish should be consumed in order to minimize the
effect of our consumption on the population of the fish [17]. Such
practices, when exhibited on a large scale, could change the fishing industry.
Similarly, whaling which killed reportedly 43,000 whales in 1931[18]
has reduced significantly after the “International Convention for the
Regulation of Whaling” was established.
Corporate Sustainability and beyond
As a banking
firm, Standard Chartered doesn’t directly invest in underwater life projects,
but it has taken several other initiatives for environment safety which would
have an indirect impact on water bodies – for instance, they have invested up to
$4.2 Billion in renewable energy projects, which include water treatment projects as
well. They are also a part of Mckinsey’s Global Water project, which
established a framework to make better decisions for the transformation of the water
sector [19].
KPMG has also
started Eco-Drive, in Malaysia, program which is concerned with the sustenance
of marine environments. It is mainly involved in protecting coral reefs. In The Cayman Islands, the Eco Drivers Coral Nursery Program has undertaken the task
of rejuvenating coral reefs. Divers volunteer to aid in planting and growing
coral nurseries. KPMG also supports the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation, concerned
with conducting research on marine environments and spreading awareness about
the same [20].
KPMG wrote
a report on businesses undertaking SDGs. The report mentioned that “Life Below
Water” was one of the three SDGs receiving the least attention, along with
“Life On Land” (SDG-15) and “No Hunger”(SDG-2). The report also mentions how
businesses can report developments towards SDGs and what counts as good
contribution [21].
The attitude of the business thus far can only be called insufficient and reactive. Institutions
such as government need to fund research and knowledge generation on this issue
and coordinate with the private sector to develop technologies to mitigate the
effects of this crisis. The enforcement of laws should be strict and
significant investment from the government should be done to develop capacity.
Banks and Financing agencies should work in a manner to incentivise the
projects which minimize the impact on marine life while penalising the
polluting industries with an additional cost of capital.
Oceans, Seas,
Rivers and Marine life are our shared resources, and their survival hangs on a
balance. Some of the damage that has been done is irreversible, and we should
act now and do the right thing.
References:
[1] SDG 14: Life
Below Water. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/sdg-14/.
[2] River Water Pollution In India: It's
Causes And Impact. (2018, November 14). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://www.youthkiawaaz.com/2018/11/the-rising-pollution-of-rivers-in-india-what-might-be-the-consequences/.
[3] Top 11 Most
Polluted Rivers in the World in 2019. (2019, January 26). Retrieved December 5,
2019, from https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/most-polluted-rivers-world.php.
[4] Dissolved
oxygen level touches zero in Yamuna. (2014, October 7). Retrieved December 5,
2019, from
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/north/story/dissolved-oxygen-level-touches-zero-in-yamuna-ito-bridge-nizamuddin-bridge-cpcb-208867-2014-10-07.
[5] Scientists study ocean absorption of human
carbon pollution | John Abraham. (2017, February 16). Retrieved December 5,
2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/2017/feb/16/scientists-study-ocean-absorption-of-human-carbon-pollution.
[6] Agenda 21 -
Chapter 17. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://www.un.org/Depts/los/consultative_process/documents/A21-Ch17.htm.
[7] SDG 14:
Life Below Water. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/sdg-14/.
[8] Mercury
pollution of India. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from
https://www.cseindia.org/mercury-pollution-of-india-439.
[9] Ocean acidification will cost global
economy $1 trillion by 2100. (2014, October 9). Retrieved December 5, 2019,
from https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/10/09/ocean-acidification-cost-global-economy-1-trillion-2100.
[10] Coral Reef
Tourism: Data Highlights Conservation Opportunity for Industry. (n.d.).
Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://oceanwealth.org/coral-reef-tourism-data-highlights-conservation-opportunity-for-industry/.
[11]
Microplastics. (2019, December 4). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microplastics.
[12] We Know
Plastic Is Harming Marine Life. What About Us? (2018, May 16). Retrieved
December 5, 2019, from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/06/plastic-planet-health-pollution-waste-microplastics/.
[13] Microbead.
(2019, November 13). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microbead.
[14] '78% of sewage generated in India remains
untreated'. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/waste/-78-of-sewage-generated-in-india-remains-untreated--53444
[15] Cleaning
of Yamuna River. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=186656.
[16] Economic Impact of Algae Blooms. (2017,
July 10). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://www.lgsonic.com/blogs/economic-impact-algae-blooms/.
[17] OUR
MONTHLY FISH RECOMMENDATIONS. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from http://knowyourfish.org.in/.
[18] A History of the International Whaling
Commission (IWC). (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/cetaceans/cetaceans/iwc/history/
[19] Standard
Chartered Annual Report 2010. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from https://www.sc.com/sustainability-review-10/promoting-sustainable-finance/environmental-and-social-risk-assessment/.
[20] Healthy
oceans. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from
https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home/about/our-role-in-the-world/citizenship/healthy-oceans.html.
[21] How to
report on SDGs. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2019, from
https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2018/02/how-to-report-on-sdgs.pdf.
Aayush Gulati, Abhishek Rathour, Akshay Joshi, Antony J Sankoorikal, Ayush Rawat , Praphul Kabtiyal
Group 10, Section B, PGDM (BM), 2019-21 Batch
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