Taskforce on Ocean Governance

Pollution

From POPs to plastics, pollution is having a profound effect on the world’s oceans and the people who depend on them. Nutrient run-off creates massive dead zones near shore while giant “garbage patches” have been found in at least 7 areas, most recently the Caribbean Sea. Along with heavy metals like mercury and persistent organic pollutants like DDT, microplastics have entered the food chain and can be found in fish products sold to consumers. Economists refer to the resulting ecological and human-health problems as externalities, or costs not included in the price of a good or service. However, this economic disconnect is compounded by spatial, temporal, and political disconnects as well. Members of this cluster study different aspects of this governance problem. Measuring the fate and effects of pollution are important, but we focus more on the social side of the issue, including better understanding how the distribution of costs and benefits creates (or stifles) political will to reduce or clean up  pollution, how regulations and incentive programs alter the behavior of polluters, and how including elements like the precautionary principle or the polluter pays principle into laws and norms alters governance of specific pollutants. Corporate social responsibility and other private attempts to reduce marine pollutants are also of interest. In fact, these are just a few examples of the variety of work that could be encompassed in this cluster. Related clusters include Shipping, Recreation and Tourism, and Trade and Globalization.

If you’d like to join the cluster, please click here to become a member. This will allow you to post information on the page and give you the opportunity to receive information and updates via the Oceans Taskforce listserve.

While we do not have funding ourselves, we do hope to foster joint projects via Working Groups, which would bring together cluster members to write grant proposals, put together collected volumes/special issues, or develop webinars, workshops, syllabi, or similar products. All projects should focus on the cluster topic and fit within the ESG Science Plan (http://www.earthsystemgovernance.org/research-agenda/). Working group members should come from more than one institution and should have sufficient expertise to accomplish project goals. Forming a working group can help you to expand your professional network. It will also provide mentoring from the cluster leaders and access to logistical support like web-conferencing from ESG headquarters. To submit a Working Group proposal, please fill out this form and send it to the cluster leader(s) listed below. If you’d like to propose a Working Group that fits in more than one cluster, please send it to the leaders of each cluster in a single e-mail. Scroll down for descriptions of active Working Groups.

Cluster Leaders:

Balasaheb G Kulkarni
PVG’s College of Science and Technology, India
balasahebk@yahoo.com

Judith van Leeuwen
Wageningen University, Netherlands
judith.vanleeuwen@wur.nl

Active Working Groups