Pollution and the Breakdown of Marine Ecosystems: Impacts on Small Island and Coastal Communities

Marine pollution is an increasingly threatening problem to the well-being of the ecosystem and people, as the impacts of pollutants can be most severely realized by people in coastal areas and small tropical islands. These populations rely heavily on the ocean for sustenance, livelihoods, and cultural durability. Such populations frequently count directly on the sea as their source of food, income, and cultural definition, but they also have an out-of proportion contribution to the harm brought on by plastic garbage, oil collisions, industrial effluence, and augmented sea pollution. Though most of these groups might be less involved in the issue, their geographical visibility and lack of political strength expose them to it, in particular. According to the terms of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Article 1(1)(4) states that pollution of the marine environment is ‘the introduction by man, either directly or indirectly of substances or energy into the marine environment. This discharge results in or is likely to result in such harmful consequences as harm to living resources and marine life, hazards to human health, hindrances to marine activities, impairment of quality of use of seawater, and reduction of amenities.’ In this scenario, environmental justice is the treatment and involvement of every person, regardless of race or income level, national origin, or location, in an effective manner in the formulation, execution, and enforcement of environmental rules and policies. Environmental Justice, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has defined it, happens when there is the unacceptability of having a disparate group of people as being subject to an inequitable share of the adverse environmental ramifications of industrial, governmental, and commercial activity or policies. It demands equal access to environmental amenities as well as safeguards against environmental hazards, most notably for the historically disadvantaged groups. In this paper we look at the relationship between marine pollution and the application of these principles, showing the disparity of harm, institutional dereliction, and structural access to remedies experienced by coastal and small island communities.

Marine pollution is widespread; however, each of the forms is equally disastrous in nature to our oceans and also to the people dependent on them. The most widespread is plastic pollution, whose annual input into the oceans is an unbelievable 11 million metric tons (UNEP, 2021). All the Big Macs, down to the smallest bits at the microscopic level, add up to plastic waste that could cause harm to marine life forms by ingestion or entanglement. Oil pollution from shipping and offshore drilling spills has devastating effects on fisheries, kills coral reefs, and hurts economies that depend on tourism, according to ITOPF, 2021. The issue is made worse by chemical and toxic pollution. Agricultural runoff causes eutrophication, resulting in huge dead zones that lack any life forms. Harmful chemicals, such as heavy metals and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), also bioaccumulate in marine life and pose a threat to biodiversity and human health, according to UNEP, 2019. Furthermore, over 80 percent of marine pollution originates from land-based sources, such as industrial waste, urban sewage, and river discharges that release toxic compounds into the oceans, contributing to the problem (UNEP GPA, 2006). We urgently need a coordinated international effort to protect our marine ecosystems and the lives that depend on them because of the widespread nature of these pollutants and their cross-effects.

Ecological Breakdown: How Pollution Undermine Marine Ecosystems 

Beneath the surface of the ocean, entire ecosystems are quietly unravelling. Marine pollution disrupts ecological balance by degrading vital habitats, contaminating food webs, and compromising the resilience of marine life. One of the most visible effects is bleaching and mortality of coral reefs since corals are extremely sensitive to environmental change. Pollution from oils, plastics, and agricultural land uses act as direct vast and synergistic pollutants, while fertilizers and other nutrients can add toxins and excessive nutrients to the ocean. Toxins contribute to algae blooms that prevent sunlight or prevent corals from growing, while nutrients contribute to algae with similar impacts. Algae blooms impact the mutualism in and beyond coral polyps with endophyte algae, leading to large-scale mortality and bleaching of coral reefs.

Seagrass and mangrove communities may be impacted by more limited growth than coral reefs. Algal blooms from excess nutrients from runoff of fertilizers lead to or contribute to eutrophication and low oxygen areas of the water column such as hypoxic or dead zones. Algal growth decreases plant growth and directly kills marine species through oxygen depletion. Mangroves also lack resilience from directly being hit by pollution and storms. For example, oil pollution at their range and plastic pollution at their root zones may be or are degrading coastal ecosystem nursery or buffering functions leading to exploited stocks or reproductive communities in coastal areas.

Disproportionate Impacts on Small Island and Coastal Communities

Coastal and small island communities are bearing a disproportionate burden of the global marine pollution crisis, a problem they have done little to create. For these communities, the ocean is an essential component for their economy, nutrition, and cultural identity. Small-scale fishing and tourism-based livelihoods are more than just jobs; they represent a way of life that has been passed down through generations. However, this deep reliance on marine resources also makes these communities exceptionally vulnerable to environmental degradation.

They are particularly at risk because of their heavy reliance on marine resources. The lack of funding and infrastructure for waste and pollution management is one of the main issues. Many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face limited land resources, making proper waste disposal difficult, and the high cost of exporting recyclables leaves them struggling with ever-increasing plastic waste.

Transboundary pollution, which occurs when ocean currents bring pollutants, oil, and plastic waste from developed countries to their coastlines, compounds the imbalance. This external burden worsens existing inequalities. Furthermore, these demands are made worse by the effects of climate change. In its Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) described the direct threats to these communities posed by increasing sea levels, stronger storms, and coral reef destruction. These hazards are not hypothetical; rather, they are everyday occurrences that deprive people of their land, money, and security, leaving island and coastal communities vulnerable and disadvantaged. Addressing marine pollution is therefore not just an environmental issue but a critical matter of social justice for these frontline communities.

Case Study: Barbados the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem

Barbados is one of the Caribbean Island states that is facing serious environmental and economic challenges, including marine pollution. The coastal and marine ecosystems of the island, especially coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds, are also becoming stressed due to both local and transboundary pressures. Included discharge of cruise ships, both through untreated sewer and wastewater, is a significant source of emission, reaching the coastal waters to promote nutrient loading. This is a primary factor that encourages algal blooms and also destabilizes existing reef systems that are already sensitive to the warming of the ocean waters and ocean acidification. The structure of the reef is additionally destroyed by the spillages of oil in shipping and offshore operations, which are also hazardous to marine biodiversity and tourism facilities. Ballast water discharge from international vessels is another major concern. Ships traveling across the Atlantic often release ballast water in Caribbean ports, inadvertently introducing invasive species into local ecosystems. These species compete with native marine life and upset the ecological balance, further weakening ecosystem resilience. Agricultural runoff containing fertilizers and pesticides adds to the nutrient burden, exacerbating reef degradation and contributing to the formation of coastal dead zones. The cumulative effect of these pollution sources undermines the ecological integrity of marine habitats and puts tourism, Barbados’s economic mainstay, at risk. With the island’s economy highly dependent on pristine beaches and healthy reefs, the stakes of marine degradation are both environmental and existential.

In the bigger picture, these problems are symbolic of a bigger regional crisis, which is impacting the Caribbean Large Marine Ecosystem (CLME). The CLME is spread across more than 4.3 million km and provides livelihoods to more than 40 million people; it is experiencing a steep rise in plastic pollution. As revealed in a local analysis between 1980 and 2020, the problem of plastic marine debris is still growing and is becoming persistent across Caribbean coast areas (Debrot et al., 2019). It is estimated that about 80% of this garbage is land-based, with a portion being washed into the sea through rivers and storm drains and scattered along the shores into the ocean, where the currents carry it across the basin. The effects are far-reaching. Marine life ingests or gets tangled in plastic waste, resulting in injury and death. These nurseries of fish that are in the form of coral reefs and seagrass beds are covered in debris or weakened by the microplastic pollution itself that remodels the nutrient cycle and animal behavior. The result of this ecological imbalance goes straight to financial losses: fish stocks collapse, resilience in the coastal zone is lost, and tourism appeal is ruined.

Fiji: Ocean Pollution in the Pacific

Fiji, located in the heart of the Pacific, endures rising difficulties from marine pollution, the majority of which originates outside its territorial waters. The Pacific Garbage Patch, a vast collection of floating plastic waste that often washes up throughout Fiji's shores due to ocean currents, is a significant contributor. These plastics provide serious ecological hazards in addition to reducing the aesthetic appeal of beaches. Fish, turtles, and seagulls are among the marine species that frequently consume or become entangled in plastic waste, which can cause harm, asphyxia, or even death.

"Ghost Gear," or abandoned or lost fishing gear, is a special issue since it continues to carelessly capture marine life. Species of fish that are essential to cultural customs, economic livelihoods, and food security are being depleted as a result. Since traditional fishing provides nearly all of the income and food for many coastal communities in Fiji, Veitayaki et al. (2021) point out that maintaining the health of marine ecosystems is a national priority.

Furthermore, even in biodiverse and relatively distant areas like Laucala Bay and neighbouring mangrove habitats, pollution has been found. Concerns regarding bioaccumulation and long-term impacts on human health have been raised by the discovery of microplastics and chemical residues in sediments, fish tissue, and mangrove roots. The two most important industries in Fiji tourism and fishing are under threat from these challenges to the environment. Marine pollution immediately reduces economic resilience, as the ocean economy accounts for over 60% of the country's GDP.

Fiji suffers from transboundary contamination even though it contributes barely anything to the the globe's marine trash. To defend the ecological and economic future of Pacific Island countries like Fiji, this emphasises the urgent need for international cooperation, better local trash management, and greater enforcement of marine conservation laws.

Strengthening Marine Pollution Law through Justice, Cooperation, and Indigenous Knowledge

The current international laws aim to protect the ocean from pollution. Such as, UNCLOS, MARPOL, the Basel Convention, and the London Convention, have many weaknesses that lead to environmental injustice. One major problem is the "flag of convenience" system, which lets ships register in countries with weak rules, making it easier for them to pollute without being punished. There are also loopholes in the rules, like in the Basel Convention, that allow toxic waste to be moved across borders without proper oversight. These agreements often work separately, each focusing on only one type of pollution, and they don't deal with the bigger picture, like how plastics and land-based waste affect the ocean together. Many of these agreements use soft language that only encourages action rather than requiring it, making enforcement weak. Developing countries are often unable to fully carry out these laws because they lack money, technology, and trained staff.  Lastly, these laws rarely involve local communities or Indigenous peoples, even though they have deep knowledge of the marine environment and play a key role in protecting it. This knowledge includes detailed understanding of local currents, species behaviour, ecosystem health indicators, and sustainable resource management practices. Ignoring their voices makes ocean protection efforts less fair and less effective.

In this context, the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion on climate change offers a landmark interpretation of states' environmental obligations under international law. The ICJ affirmed that states have a legal duty to prevent environmental harm, cooperate globally, and protect the rights of present and future generations from the adverse effects of climate change. It emphasized that these obligations are grounded in customary international law and human rights law, particularly the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. While not binding, the opinion reinforces the principle that environmental governance must be guided by equity, justice, and international solidarity lending authoritative weight to calls for stronger enforcement, inclusive governance, and meaningful recognition of Indigenous and local stewardship in the protection of marine environments.

A solidarity march and watch party is held by the Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change and Worlds Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ) outside the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands, as the Advisory Opinion on the obligations of States with respect to climate change is delivered on the 23rd of July at 15:00 CEST / GMT+2. (Teo Ormond-Skeaping / Loss and Damage Collaboration)