The ocean is acknowledged for the goods and services it provides
and viewed with appreciation and opportunity. People understand our
impact on the sea and its life-supporting role for us and society acts
in accordance with this view. We recognise that cleaning our Ocean and
addressing SDG 14, Life Below Water, we also contribute to SDG 15, Life
on Land. Technology is used to prevent, filter, clean, repair and
restore our shores, the water column and the seabed floor. The demand
for re-useable, less-toxic and less-packaged products means that
manufactures have shifted to sustainable production and packaging of
goods, contributing to the achievement of SDG 12, responsible production
and consumption. Government standards require recycled materials to be
used in the manufacturing of new products, and there is a viable,
thriving circular economy. Citizen scientists roam the shores, reporting
and sharing their data with the world. Volunteer community groups
continue to clean the beaches of rubbish and are starting to collect
fewer items each visit. Guided by science and indigenous knowledge,
politicians adopt the precautionary principle and our laws are
equitable, enforced and effective. Wealthy nations have started to
responsibly manage their waste and are gradually ceasing exports of
their waste to poorer nations. Across the globe more and more regions,
cities and industries are meeting SDG targets, adopting sustainable
practices that suit their culture and landscape. Breeding grounds for
marine mammals are protected from noise propagating devices and the
revegetation of inland waterways and wetlands are progressing. Shifts to
more sustainable agricultural practices have removed the reliance on
large applications of fertilisers and as such eutrophication events are
falling. The health and well-being of communities and life is on the
rise.
Box 1 : The method resulted in two futures, which
focuses on pollutants outlined in Table 1. The two futures are told here
in a narrative format. The Business-as-usual (BAU) future has been
informed by current trends and predictions in marine pollution. The
Technically Feasible Sustainable Future imagines what the future may be
like should we implement the actions outlined in this paper.