People have forgotten or ignored that their world is mostly ocean. Immersed in our virtual lives, people are disconnected to their environment. Unchecked growth is status quo. Surrounded by rising quantities of pollution, people do not see the sea, although they peer in wonder at the polluted waves breaking on their shores, while peeling back the plastic from their shrink-wrapped vegetables and listening to the constant hum of marine traffic travelling across the seas. Politicians pontificate but laws are toothless, made then broken, useless distractions from the real issue. Our media is swamped with images of marine species entangled in fishing gear or plastics. Dead seabirds, turtles and fish. News of die-offs from eutrophication or toxic pollution episodes is a regular occurrence. The marketing alongside these news stories on our screens is still telling us to buy more, consume more. The growing global population in combination with an increasing rural-urban migration has intensified demands on waste collection and treatment systems, urban drainage and coastal development. Although some regions, cities and industries have adopted the sustainable practices recommended by the UN to meet the SDGs, the majority struggle to manage the resource and waste demands of their rapidly growing urban populations. As a result, the amount of untreated wastewater entering the Ocean has escalated. Grass-roots movements to educate and encourage communities to adopt sustainable, less wasteful products and practices continue to grow. Positive changes can be seen in those communities. However, the slow voluntary changes made by industry and the lack of enforcement/legislation made by governments has allowed marine pollution to increase and the warnings we heard ten years ago on the implications this will have on our health and livelihoods have become reality.
Stemming the flow and proceeding with caution (Technically feasible sustainable future) :