Sustainability Report: Marine Debris, Impacts, and Solutions

This report, focusing on marine debris as a sustainability issue, begins by defining sustainability and outlining the 2030 Agenda. It identifies marine debris as a significant threat to the world's oceans, detailing its sources, impacts on marine life, and economic consequences. The report examines the 'wicked' nature of the problem, highlighting its complex and multifaceted characteristics. It then introduces system thinking and employs the iceberg model to analyze the events, patterns, and underlying structures contributing to marine debris, such as plastic pollution, ghost fishing, and improper waste management. The report emphasizes the challenges in addressing the issue, including the difficulty of complete plastic removal and the need for sustainable practices. The report highlights the importance of understanding and addressing the underlying structures and mental models that perpetuate the problem. It provides insights into the long-term trends and patterns associated with marine debris and suggests potential intervention points for creating a more sustainable future.

Sustainability Assignment – 1
Marine Debris
Name: Vatsal Dholakiya
Student ID: 20879141
Subject Coordinator: Dr Swati Nagpal
Subject lecturer: Sanjay
Lecture Day and time: Monday 16:00

Table of Contents
Question 1-........................................................................................................................2
What is Sustainability:.......................................................................................................2
The 2030 Agenda is defined as follows:.............................................................................3
What is Marine Debrie:.....................................................................................................3
1. Why is the case topic a sustainability issue, and why is it important?..........................3
Question 2:........................................................................................................................4
A) Wicked Problem:....................................................................................................4
Marine Debris Wickedness:...............................................................................................5
Question 3:........................................................................................................................7
Question 4:........................................................................................................................7
What is System Thinking:..................................................................................................7
Iceberg model:...................................................................................................................7
Understanding Marine Debris with Iceberg model:............................................................7
Question 1-
What is Sustainability:
The concept of sustainability has been identified as an essential topic of discussion and
considered in terms of how various aspects of the world, such as Businesses, Technology,
the Environment, and other social sciences, should function. Economic Development,
Social Development and Environmental Protection have been identified as the three core
pillars of sustainable development. (Mason, 2020).

The 2030 Agenda is defined as follows:
There are many challenges facing the world today and in the future, and the 2030 Agenda
attempts to address all of them. Furthermore, sustainability refers to protecting the
environment and economic and social development.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda for
Financing for Development are mutually exclusive plans to finance the Sustainable
Development Goals. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development contains 17 SDGs, and
the Addis Ababa Action Agenda for Financing for Development includes an international
plan for financing the SDGs.
What is Marine Debrie:
Marine debris is one of the most common global threats to the health of the world's coasts,
seas and waterways. This is a matter of regional, regional, national and international
importance. Marine debris can injure or kill marine and coastal animals. Habitat damage and
deterioration; Affect navigation safety. It causes economic loss to the fishing and shipping
industries. It affects the quality of life in coastal areas. It threatens human health and safety.
This service works with government and non-governmental partners to combat the impact on
marine debris and its wildlife.
1. Why is the case topic a sustainability issue, and why is it
important?
There are many kinds of debris in the marine environment that can be categorised into
intentional and unintentional. These are any materials that have been manufactured or

processed and left in the background, whether intentionally or unintentionally, after they have
been disposed of or abandoned.
The degradation of plastic over time produces microplastics that aquatic animals consume,
such as fish, and subsequently end up in the human food chain. Likewise, plastic bottles,
tarps, and artificial fishing lines produce to be within the environment since they are durable,
slow to degrade, and buoyant, making them an ongoing source of debris. Due to the excessive
buoyancy of plastic, gadgets tend to float for long distances, thereby endangering marine
ecosystems. There are no geographical difficulties where the sea currents could transport
marine debris. Due to the presence of ocean currents, 'massive rubbish patches' are formed
through the accumulation of debris. It is estimated that in 2010, there were 2,550 million tons
of stable waste generated in 192 geographically diverse sites along the Atlantic, Pacific,
Indian, Mediterranean, and Black Seas. Approximately 270 million of these heaps were
composed of plastics. More than 89 million tons of plastic waste were generated in coastal
regions, 29. Plastic ends up in the ocean in more significant numbers due to improperly
managed waste every year. Approximately 9.1 million heaps of plastic ended up inside the
sea in 2015. By 2025, we expect the ocean to contain twice as much plastic as it did in 2010.
Question 2:
A) Wicked Problem:
Horst Rittel described a wicked problem as ‘A social or cultural trouble or problem this is
tough to give an explanation for and inherently not possible to solve’. ‘There is, withinside
the twenty-first century, an excessive hobby like depraved troubles and the complicated

obligations of figuring out their scope, possible responses, and suitable mechanisms and
pathways in the direction of accomplishing improvement’. (“The enduring undertaking of
‘depraved troubles’: revisiting ...”) (Crowley, Kate; Head, Brian W, Policy Sciences, 2017-
12, Vol.50 (4), p.539-547)
Wicked problems are typically understood because the demanding situations that encompass
troubles and loss of readability in the direction of placing a goal or solutions entail
demanding situations of inner good judgment and articulation. Lastly, it may be difficult to
actual international constraints centred in the direction of danger unfastened resolutions.
(Webber, 1973). To advantage higher expertise of the concept, certain traits of depraved
troubles have additionally been diagnosed along with:
- Lack of Definitive Formulation
- Lack of Inherent logic.
- No definitive or decisive resolution.
- Wicked problems are essentially unique.
- An indefinite number of solutions to the problem
- Wicked problems usually are perceived as a solution to another problem.
- Every idea of resolution is accounted for and hence is irreversible. (Webber, 1973)
Marine Debris Wickedness:
1. Marine particles aren’t restrained to what we will see floating in ocean gyres. Tires,
synthetic reefs, and several different factors contribute to marine particles. Ghost
fishing, a phenomenon wherein deserted fishing tools, including gillnets and crab

pots, keep enticing fish and other aquatic animals and organisms indefinitely, affects
over two hundred species worldwide.
2. Marine particles are a more recent class of pollutants that have been usually
diagnosed as the most straightforward trouble within 50 years. Its extent is tons extra
tough to measure. Marine particles no longer the shortest float on the floor in
numerous sizes and bureaucracy. However, they are likewise located on beaches,
beneath the bottom and seafloor. While particles together with misplaced delivery
bins and different heavy substances frequently sink to the sea ground, big plastics,
Styrofoam and a few fishing nets are located on the floor. The good-sized majority of
these particles are assumed to be mild and minor, making them susceptible to being
stuck in underwater currents, which perpetuates the waft of particles that travel during
the water column. Particles are now believed to permeate the whole water column
from floor to ocean ground throughout the entire ocean and via the bulk of worldwide
rivers.
3. In addition, it is crucial to keep in mind that the attribution of a solution to a wicked
problem does not relate to truth or falsity but instead to what is better or worse from a
particular point of view. The majority of materials we use in our homes, our cars, and
other areas of our daily lives are consumer-oriented. Among the many plastic
products available, packaging for products, containers in the kitchen, electrical
switches, etc., are all examples. Even though plastic is subject to restrictions, it is
impossible to eradicate plastic from the environment completely. Only substantial
reductions in plastic can be achieved, but complete removal is not possible.
4. The government may consider enforcing a boycott of all plastic products or
launching a recycling program. It is not possible to recycle plastic packaging
indefinitely due to the degradation of its components. The value of secondary plastic

can be reduced by a wide range of factors, including contamination, melting, and
palletisation of these plastics. When assessing the value of your secondary plastics, be
sure to keep these factors in mind. There are a variety of plastics that are extremely
difficult to recycle, including crisp packaging, disposable cups lined with plastic, and
certain plastic films.
5.
Question 3:
Question 4:
What is System Thinking:
Systemic thinking is crucial when taking a broad view of the situation. Rather than focusing
on static snapshots of the situation, it is essential to emphasise the patterns of change within
this framework.
Through techniques and concepts contained within this framework, interventions in social
problems can be facilitated. A tremendous amount of knowledge has been available in this
area, which provides immense insight into how the systems methodology can be applied.
Nevertheless, the facilitators and approaches used in the intervention have limitations
regarding what they can accomplish.
Iceberg model:
For a thorough understanding of a problem, you must include an Iceberg model in your
analysis. Observing a problem makes it possible to discover trends, patterns, and mental
representations of the problem.

Understanding Marine Debris with Iceberg model:
The Event: Marine habitats everywhere are polluted by debris originating from artificial
sources. As a result of ocean acidification, the sea bottom, the sea surface, and estuaries are
acidified.
Plastics, rubber tires, polyethene, containers, and bottles are examples of garbage thrown into
water channels and rivers and the open ocean, which accumulates to create 'giant garbage
patches,' which damage marine life. The issue of marine debris has become a significant
concern today. Microplastics, which are by-products of the degradation process of plastics,
have been found to have ended up in the food chain after being consumed by aquatic animals,
including fish. While marine animals, such as sea turtles, can suffer and sometimes even die
when caught in plastic fishnets or heavy dumping.
Pattern and Trends over the time: