Green Out of the Blue, or How (Not) to Deal with Overfed Oceans

Abstract

Despite causing harmful impacts on coastal communities and biodiversity for a few decades, eutrophication of marine systems has only recently gained public visibility. Representing a major land-based pollution, eutrophication is now considered the most striking symptom of intractable disruption of biogeochemical nutrient cycles at a global scale. The objective of this article is to analyze multi-scale dynamics of the problematization and regulation of ocean overfertilization. To do so, we build on a comprehensive literature review of previously published works that address the sociopolitical dimension of eutrophication issues and whose visibility we analyze with a critical perspective. We identify three stages that characterize the social history of marine eutrophication and how it was handled by public authorities. Although social mobilizations focus on emblematic sites, conflicts directly related to eutrophication symptoms spread in diverse hydro-social configurations. We conclude with a typology of four configurations associated with enduring nutrient pollution: noisy, overwhelming, silenced, and disturbing eutrophication.

An Examination of Evolving Concerns, Obstacles, and Prospects in Relation to Pollution in the Marine Environment

“…Pakistan has established several anti-pollution rules at the national level and is a signatory to several international accords that prohibit marine pollution. New, more scientific information about the marine environment and environmental health has replaced the outdated idea that the ocean is a bottomless rubbish dump with boundless carrying capacity and endless ability to give away resources (Levain et al, 2020). Today, people are more aware of the need to protect marine ecosystems than they ever have been before.…”

Farming by the sea: A qualitative-quantitative approach to capture the specific traits of coastal farming in Brittany, France

“…This line of research emphasizes non-reversible changes induced by land take, which tends to exclude farming from coastal areas permanently. However, it also sheds light on emerging or enduring conflicts involving farmers and farming activities (whether coastal or less so), whose legitimacy tends to be challenged by socio-demographic changes and increasing environmental concerns in these areas socially highly valued for their heritage (Levain et al, 2020). In this literature, the coast is regarded as patches of activities interconnected with infrastructure, socio-economic networks and nature.…”