In the course Frontiers, I pushed myself to think of innovative strategies that could change the future of oceans. Through this last unit, our class discussed the ways ecosystems function, what happens when parts of an ecosystem are disrupted, and climate change and its effects on marine life. I learned about the many factors of climate change as well and the impact it can have on the ocean. Rising sea levels is one issue that I studied with two other peers in my class. Before taking this class, I was very ignorant about rising sea levels and its consequences. The most important lesson that guided me through this course is that all solutions have both positive and negative effects. For example; there are systems that we could create to reduce pollution in the oceans but at what cost, and could it be practical? These are questions that I thought about when writing my paper on the future of oceans through human pressures and ecosystems. I really enjoy the psychological side of science because studying the behaviors in both animals and humans can tell you a lot about the environmental challenges that we are facing today. It felt good to acknowledge that taking care of the environment is taking care of my future and the future of others.
In conclusion, this was a project I was struggling with a lot at first because it was difficult to break down the information that I was consuming. Once I read more articles, I felt a lot better because I actually enjoyed what I was learning about, like how we’re so interconnected with marine life but don’t really talk about that. This Action Project made me think more about my actions and how I respond to different challenges.
Organisms in the ocean are dependent upon the function of marine ecosystems. Without healthy marine ecosystems, organisms have no food source and hence, humans will no longer be able to depend on oceans as a food source. Understanding the strong impact we have on climate change and its connection to marine life is an important step to changing the future of healthy oceans. Human behaviors shape the way the world looks and functions every day. From driving to work, to throwing the garbage out, our actions become intertwined with the health of the climate, ocean life, and more.
According to studies by Henrik Österblom we have to understand ”interacting drivers of change, identifying thresholds in ecosystems, and investigating social-ecological dynamics to represent particularly interesting frontiers, which we speculate will soon emerge as new mainstreams in marine ecosystem science.” Human actions shape the way marine ecosystems function because we are progressively turning out to be “embedded parts of the dynamics and behavior of marine ecosystems” (2015). Many argue that more time should be devoted to research by ecosystem scientists to address challenges like climate change (2015).
One of the reasons why we are still facing the challenges that destroy our oceans today is because what scientists are doing now is not enough. We also need to realize that the economy is rapidly changing and we must recognize the economic trends that drive climate change (Clayton et al 2015). Physiological research is also required in order to evaluate how people perceive climate change through all levels of social organization and other institutional actors like governments and industries. “Ignoring insights from psychological research can handicap progress towards a low-carbon, sustainable future (2015).
Politics and different social groups and classes also influence the many beliefs we have on climate change and how to solve it. According to psychological research, in order for messages to be responded to and acted on, we must become aware of how mass media and personal experiences with climate change drive people’s emotions; biases, status quo, identities, and more ( Clayton et al 2015). These factors solely depend on what perceptions humans have on climate change. In other words, individuals with different belief systems will decide how they want to act or if they want to act on changing the pendulum of Climate Change. This evidence tells us that we need to continue to identify relevant social identities to get a better grasp on how those beliefs on climate change “have become ideologically polarized in certain populations”
( 2015). Margaret Leinen envisions the future of oceans as a platform for solutions rather than a resource we can exploit through tourism and recreation (As found in Envision 2050: The Future of Oceans, 2015, Hoff) .
The saying “don’t bite the hand that feeds you” could not be more appropriate when talking about the relationship between humans and the health of our oceans. Humans are dependent upon living close to waters for a number of reasons including economic sustainability, food, essential needs, travel, etc. People not only rely on water, but those who need access to water most, are disproportionately stricken by poverty, unstable political systems, underdeveloped and exploited economies and even war. The people who need water the most, are not in a position to solve the pollution problem alone. They are trying to survive. We all need to be activated toward and accountable for change.
Pollution is one the biggest factors of accelerated climate change and leading causes of the rapid changes in the ocean’s ecosystem. For example, the majority of SE Asia’s population lives on ocean coasts. Their reliance on the ocean to provide economic sustainability as well as food, is in conflict with their unintentional abuse of that same ocean (Lebreton et al 217). Human overcrowding and all the pollutants that come with it affect the entire ecosystem that the population depends on for life. To make things worse, SE Asia accounts for 34% of the world’s reefs (Todd et al 2010). The pollutants and destruction of the ecosystem in SE Asia’s oceans is affecting the world’s oceans. The negative effects will be felt by everyone.
Climate change and human behavior are directly connected to marine life. According to former Vice President Al Gore, if the pollution in the ocean does not improve, by 2050 the weight of plastics in the ocean will be about the same as the weight of fish in the ocean. One solution that could make a huge difference in the way we interact with oceans is figuring out how plastic is reaching oceans and how to stop it. Marine life is impacted the most by entanglement and ingestion of microplastic debris (Worm et al 2017). Debris items have been tested for toxicological effects in different PE particles, pellets, pollutants, and more. Studies show that these toxins can destroy a wide range of species by “reduced feeding and reproductive success, reduced survival, cellular-level toxicity, changes in immune function, changes in enzyme function, and gene expression” (Worm et al 2017).
All ecosystems are important, however, marine ecosystems are most in danger and abused. What have we lost? Huge percentages of salt marshes, mangroves, coral reefs, oyster reefs and seagrass. Fish are dying in droves because of an increase in algae, pollutants from humans, and a lack of oxygen (Barbier 2017).
The answer to eradicating pollution in oceans and helping marine ecosystems to thrive is complicated. The world is watching and nations are tackling these issues together. The UN sustainable Development Agenda addresses these exact issues by setting targets of pollution reduction and accountability measures across several countries (Löhr et al 2017). This is all great news however, we know first hand in this country that what political leadership takes power will determine each country’s commitment to change. Although President Trump committed to cleaning up oceans, he also rejected findings about the causes of global warming, making his “advocacy” regarding marine life virtually useless. You can’t cure cancer by killing the patient. His desire to help “parts” of the global warming crises show the disingenuous nature of his stance on environmental reform. Environmental issues including that of marine health have to be demanded by citizens in every way from what they do on a daily basis with their trash, to who they vote into office. It’s well past due for changes in the right direction.
In conclusion, In order to understand relationships between human pressures and ecosystems, we must do more research on what factors drive climate change and how the effects are interconnected with both human and marine life. The future of oceans depends on these studies because we can become more aware as a nation and work towards creating healthy and innovative behaviors that don’t work against the health of oceans, but work to improve their health and find possible solutions. Humans have to recognize that our future depends on the health of the environment as a whole. Proper education and cooperation can help us make the right decisions for marine life and its future. Our ecosystems are like a domino effect. If one thing is disrupted in the system, the whole system can fail and it would be our responsibility and to our demise. It’s important that we make our lives one with the ocean because when we harm the environment, we’re harming the human race.
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