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MARINE POLLUTION AS EVERYONE’S

RESPONSIBILITY

Adriana Isabelle Barbosa Lima Sá Leitão
Solange Teles da Silva
Tarin Cristino Frota Mont’Alverne

1. Introduction

Marine pollution presents itself as a waste that will contribute to growing levels
large-scale transboundary phenomenon, of ocean pollution, even activities that, at
1
present throughout the ocean, regardless first, aimed to mitigate pollution, such as
of the type of pollutant or the location the introduction of invasive species, such as
where it originated. Sargassum, in certain regions of the ocean,
There is increasing scientific evidence (RODRÍGUEZ-MARTÍNEZ, 2019, p.202).
demonstrating serious impacts of pollution This is reflected not only in the quality of
on the marine environment. Ocean chemis- life of marine animals, but directly interferes
try has been altered due to human activities with human life, either because the waste
both in coastal waters and in the open sea. in the sea reaches the food chains, being
This phenomenon has been going on for later ingested by humans organisms, or be-
decades, causing the destruction of coast- cause it affects coastal landscapes, directly
al habitats and concomitantly overfishing, influencing a decrease in tourism in a given
causing devastating impacts on biodiversity area and, consequently, affecting the econ-
and marine habitats (WEIS, 2015, p.4). omy, by reducing the provision of ecosys-
The progressive increase in marine tem services. The imperative issue observed,
pollution, along with its consequences, therefore, is that marine pollution can affect
progressively perceived by society, have society in practically all its spheres, from the
driven International Law to develop rules social, to the economic, passing through
2
and regulations in order to mitigate it. the environmental.
Actions in this direction are increasingly ur- Thus, it can be seen that marine pollu-
gent and essential, especially since almost tion constitutes a phenomenon to be treat-
every activity performed in the terrestrial ed not only by International Law and by in-
environment generates, to some extent, ternational actors in the abstract but enters

Marine pollution as everyone’s responsibility 277
276 BLUE ECONOMY Marine pollution as everyone’s responsibility 277