SDG 14: Life Below Water - Tip of the Iceberg?




By
Avinash Bhat, Ivy Maji, Kriti Chandra, Nidhi Dwivedy, Puja Shankar, Sugandh

Group 5, Section A, PGDM (BM) 2019-21 Batch

Symptom – The Tip of the Iceberg:

We enjoy the fact that the world around us is bright and beautiful with colours. We have some social adjectives associating colours with happiness – the more vivid and bold they are – more of joy they represent. Imagine what would happen if, suddenly all the colours vanish. We wake up to find that the whole world has turned black & white.
For many millions – both humans and marine organisms – precisely, this has been happening as a result of Climate Change. The colourful corals we admire are bleaching away into grey. Coral bleaching is just one of the symptoms – albeit the most visible one – which shows that few have exploited the marine resources to their limit and it is time to think long term. (D’Angelo, 2016)
But the fading colours of the corals are just the tip of the iceberg. Corals are one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, which sustain huge populations of fishes and other marine lives. Marine ecosystems feed around 3 billion people in the world. They are one of the most significant sources of protein for man. They are the basis of livelihood for many and the foundation of prospering economies together, contributing to about 5% of the global GDP. Oceans absorb around 30% of human-made carbon dioxide buffering the ill effects of global warming. They are home to an enormous variety of life forms – about 90% of which is still to be classified and studied. (UNDP, 2019)
Our rainwater, groundwater, drinking water, weather, and even the very precious oxygen that we breath in are dependent on and regulated by the seas. Many mineral cycles begin and continue because of the marine environment. Life on earth would not be possible without it. Hence, when we start observing the corals getting bleached, ocean water getting acidified, ocean temperatures rise – alarm bells should start ringing. SDG 14 is just that alarm bell.

Introducing the SDG 14 and the Targets:

No other goal better represents the international nature of responsibility of SDGs than SDG 14. Protection of the oceans and the lives dependent on them require a truly global effort.
SDG 14, as the title suggests, requires us to use the ocean, seas and marine resources sustainably. The goal has nine targets under it for better and standardised measurement of progress over time: (UNDP, 2019)
  • By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution.
  • By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration to achieve healthy and productive oceans.
  • Minimise and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels.
  • By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, to restore fish stocks in the shortest time feasible, at least to levels that can produce maximum sustainable yield as determined by their biological characteristics.
  • By 2020, conserve at least 10% of coastal and marine areas, consistent with national and international law and based on the best available scientific information.
  • By 2020, prohibit certain forms of fisheries subsidies which contribute to overfishing, eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and refrain from introducing new such subsidies, recognising that appropriate and effective special and differential treatment for developing and least developed countries should be an integral part of the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiation.
  • By 2030, increase the economic benefits to small island developing states and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources.
  • Increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, taking into account the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology (IOC Advisory Body Of Experts On The Law Of The Sea, 2005), in order to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular small island developing states and least developed countries.
  • Enhance the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources by implementing international law as reflected in UNCLOS, which provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of oceans and their resources, as recalled in paragraph 158 of The Future We Want.

India and SDG 14 – Government Efforts :

As is true for any other crisis, India is in the thick of the things of this one too. With about 13.36% of the Indian population residing in the coastal districts spanning across the 7500 km long coastline and with the sea level rising at an alarming rate of 1.3 mm/year on coasts – the crisis is not in the future; it is right here. Fishing is an essential industry in India as it is the second-largest producer of fish. Unfortunately, it also ranks 12th in the list of Top 20 countries most responsible for marine pollution. (United Nations In India, 2019)
There is perhaps some solace to be found in the fact that this crisis, unlike many others, has not gone unnoticed. There have been policy directives and actions from the government and initiatives from the industry and civil society as well.
The proposed policy of “Blue Revolution” while simultaneously tracking the levels of marine pollution along the coastline has led to the formation of the Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction System. An oil spill management system is also ready. The Integrated National Fisheries Plan 2016 aims to promote not just the livelihoods of the fishing communities but also ensure the ecological integrity of marine environment. Achieving the real goals of blue economy will require further cooperation not only between the community of coastal states but also amongst the private actors, non-governmental organisations, scientific and local communities nationally and internationally. (United Nations In India, 2019)
The Sagarmala Programme has been initiated keeping in view port connectivity, port linked industrialisation and coastal community development sustainably. (Govt of India, 2019) This shows that Indian goals and targets cannot be a direct imitation of the international ones. They have to be modified to suit the India context. Working on these lines, NITI Ayog in a paper with RIS has published sets of relevant national indicators for SDG 14 – tweaked to suit the federal requirements. (Research and Information System for Developing Countries, 2019)

SDG 14 – Industry Collaboration:

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch in the Pacific Ocean, which has now become the size of France can find its roots to widespread manufacture and usage of the plastics in consumer goods. Fortunately, many global companies have recognised this and have begun taking steps to reduce the amount to plastics released into the marine ecosystem.
For example, P&G’s Alliance to End Plastic Waste aims at creating solutions so that no plastic packaging waste finds its way into the oceans (P&G, 2019). It is also collaborating with organisations with similar aims – for example, the “Trash Free Seas Alliance” in South East Asia. Other goals of reducing the supply chain footprint, reducing the amount of virgin petroleum in plastic packaging and aiming for circular solutions based on regeneration and restoration – all feed into the overarching sustainability goals of the organisation. (P&G Citizenship, 2017)
Similar is Unilever’s commitment to 100% recyclable plastic usage by 2025. The effort is to move away from the “Take – Make – Dispose” model to one which is genuinely circular and uses plastic packaging, which is reusable, recyclable or compostable (HUL Sustainability, 2017). Many processed food companies, fishing corporations and retailers like Walmart and Marks & Spencer’s have adopted the marine stewardship council certifications and announced dramatic shifts in seafood sourcing policies. (PONTE, 2012)
There exist organizations like India’s Know Your Fish who are trying to make consumption of seafood more sustainable based on source and season.

Challenges:

No doubt, there could be a definite shift in policy for both government and corporate actors. However, two questions are still left to be answered – Whether this shift is real and not just green hogwash and if it is real – what challenges have to be overcome to make it sustainable?
There is reason to distrust corporate efforts. For example, P&G’s claim that 88% of their plastic packaging is considered recyclable hides the fact that hardly any significant proportion of that plastic packaging is recycled. (Johnson, 2019). The same question can be asked about HULs goal of making its packaging recyclable – how much effort will HUL put into building the channels for a circular economy. The chart below gives an idea about the number of organizations and the percentage of recyclability of their packaging material. (Global Commitment, 2019)



Some good has perhaps come out of the reluctant steps as well. For example, a few years ago, under pressure from the environmental organizations, major food corporations like McDonald’s and Young Seafood in Britain led a drive requiring random inspection of fishing boats and blacklisting the errant and illegal fishing vessels had an impact of reducing unreported and illicit fisheries in the Barents’ Sea by almost half. (Day, 2008).
Illegal and unregulated fishing remains one of the greatest threats to sustainable fisheries, the livelihoods of people dependent on these. Under the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing the number of parties to the Agreement has rapidly increased and stood at 58 as of February 2019.
Regarding small scale fisheries, most countries have developed targeted certain frameworks. However, more than 20 per cent of countries have a low to medium level of implementation of such frameworks. (UN, 2019)
Going further, multiple challenges could plague the initiatives. The first handicap is the unavailability of reliable and accurate data – which could be very useful in assessing national progress and implementing the policy actions. Financing is another handicap. Sustainability is not cheap – it includes the prices of the externalities which we have historically neglected to add. The role and relevance of private findings are still to be fully assessed.
While a national level framework is required for channelling investments, finance, outreach and expertise, differential approaches must be designed for more impactful results in different regions – A one size fits all approach will not work.

Conclusion:

SDG 14 is a multi-dimensional goal – with its impact tentacles spread across many significant issues. India’s asset lies the diversity of the institutions who have gained expertise in dealing with issues related to achieving this SDG over the years. But things would not move without a significant overhaul of the current plans and approaches. People on the ground affected most by marine pollution, and ecosystem exhaustion will have to take up more responsibility and hold the institutions higher up accountable for their policies and actions.
Colour in the corals will not come by its own. It calls for our voice and efforts. (D’Angelo, 2016) We must answer this call, for this grey morbidity will not stop at the corals – it is coming for all of us.


References

D’Angelo, C. (2016, June 29). Corals Are The Sad Story That Can Change The World. Retrieved from huffpost.com: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/corals-climate-change-the-world_n_576acdece4b065534f48888e
Day, N. (2008, October 02). A Corporate Approach to Rescuing the World’s Fisheries. Retrieved from Yale Environment 360: https://e360.yale.edu/features/a_corporate_approach_torescuing_the_worlds_fisheries
Global Commitment. (2019). THE NEW PLASTICS ECONOMY: 2019 PROGRESS REPORT. Global Commitment.
Govt of India. (2019). Concept & Objectives-Sagarmala. Retrieved from Sagarmala: http://sagarmala.gov.in/about-sagarmala/vision-objectives
HUL Sustainability. (2017). HUL. Retrieved from HUL USLP India Progress: https://www.hul.co.in/Images/uslp-india-progress-report-2017-21may2018_tcm1255-522773_en.pdf
IOC Advisory Body Of Experts On The Law Of The Sea. (2005). Unesco Digital Library. Retrieved from unesdoc.unesco: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000139193
Johnson, J. (2019, October 02). P&G exec: Promising sustainability is easy; delivering on that promise is hard. Retrieved from Plastic News: https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/pg-exec-promising-sustainability-easy-delivering-promise-hard
P&G. (2019, 10 04). P&G ANNOUNCES NEW GLOBAL COMMITMENT TO REDUCE PLASTIC. Retrieved from pg.com: https://us.pg.com/blogs/Plastic50by2030/
P&G Citizenship. (2017). 2017 Citizenship Report. Retrieved from P&G US Citizenship Reports: https://downloads.ctfassets.net/oggad6svuzkv/325tJmPxGEWQOgc6eGskKy/b69cb86ada52cfe97e468daadf20b741/2017_Full_Citizenship_Report.pdf
PONTE, S. (2012). The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and the. Journal of Agrarian Change, 300-315.
Research and Information System for Developing Countries. (2019). India and Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from ris.org.in: http://ris.org.in/pdf/SDGs_Report_Chapter_14.pdf
UN. (2019). SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL 14, progress and info. Retrieved from Sustainable Development Goals Knowledge Platform: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg14
UNDP. (2019). Goal 14: Life Below Water. Retrieved from United Nations Development Programme: https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-14-life-below-water.html
United Nations In India. (2019). SDG 14: Life Below Water. Retrieved from United Nations In India: https://in.one.un.org/page/sustainable-development-goals/sdg-14/




  

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