LIFE UNDER WATER

“A Holistic Analysis of Biodiversity Loss, Climate Change,

and Pollution, and the Path Toward a Sustainable Blue
Economy”

Abstract
It’s easy to feel detached from the ocean, but it’s our planet’s vital
life support system, providing every other breath we take and
regulating our climate. Yet, human actions are pushing this system
to its breaking point. This paper provides a holistic analysis of this
crisis, detailing the multifaceted decline caused by pollution,
climate change, and overfishing. It identifies the major
contributors, from land-based runoff and specific corporations to a
pervasive lack of governance. Finally, it explores the global
response, evaluating the effectiveness of international treaties,
Marine Protected Areas, and the collaborative efforts of businesses
and individuals, arguing that a unified, multi-level approach is
essential to secure a sustainable future for our oceans and
ourselves
INTRODUCTION - The Ocean, Our Planet's Life Support
System

It's easy to forget about the ocean when you're not at the beach,
but every single one of us has a personal connection to it. In fact,
think about this: every other breath you take comes from the
ocean. Little plants in the water, called phytoplankton, are a
massive oxygen factory.

Beyond that, the ocean is our planet's biggest natural air

conditioner. It's absorbed an incredible amount of our carbon
pollution—more than 90% of the excess heat caused by
human activity—which has helped keep our land from getting
even hotter.

The problem is, the ocean is now struggling. Human actions are
overwhelming its ability to keep up. We're filling it with plastic and
other pollutants, overfishing its resources, and its very chemistry
is changing because of our carbon emissions. This isn't just a
science problem; it’s a people problem. Over 3 billion people
rely on the ocean for food and jobs. When the ocean suffers, their
livelihoods and our global food supply are at risk. We can’t afford
to lose this life supports
 -Oxygen Production: The ocean produces at least
50% of the oxygen on Earth, primarily through
microscopic marine plants.

-Climate Regulation: Oceans have absorbed

approximately 30% of all human-generated CO2
emissions, acting as a critical buffer against climate
change.

-Pollution Origins: A staggering 80% of all marine

pollution originates on land, primarily from runoff of
agricultural, urban, and industrial waste.

-Corporate Pollution: The Coca-Cola Company is the

world's top plastic polluter, accounting for 11% of all
branded plastic waste, according to a recent global
audit.

-Livelihood Dependency: Over 3 billion people

worldwide depend on marine and coastal biodiversity
for their livelihoods and food.

- The Decline: How Life Under Water Has Been

Affected ?
We often think of the ocean as an endless, resilient force, but our
actions are delivering a series of powerful blows.

First, imagine a slow poison. This isn't just a stray plastic bottle;
it’s nutrient pollution. What we dump on land from farms and
cities—fertilizers, pesticides, and raw sewage—washes into our
rivers and eventually into the sea. These chemicals supercharge
algae growth, which then die and rot, consuming all the oxygen.
This creates massive "dead zones" where no life can survive. The
Gulf of Mexico, for example, is home to a dead zone that can grow
to the size of Massachusetts.

Second, the ocean is taking the heat for our climate crisis. It has
heroically absorbed over 90% of the extra heat from our carbon
emissions. But this act of sacrifice is coming at a devastating cost.
As it absorbs more carbon, it becomes more acidic—a process
called ocean acidification. This is like a slow-moving corrosive
acid for creatures with shells, like lobsters, crabs, and oysters.
Rising

temperatures also cause coral bleaching, effectively cooking the

reefs and turning them a ghostly white. We’ve already lost around
half of the world's coral reefs.

Finally, we're simply taking too much. Overfishing is emptying

the pantry of the sea. Over one-third of the world’s fish stocks
are now overfished, meaning we are catching them faster than
they can reproduce. And some of our fishing methods are
incredibly destructive. Practices like bottom trawling are like
bulldozing the seafloor, obliterating entire habitats and leaving a
barren wasteland in their wake.
 Pollution Inflow: An estimated 19 to
23 million metric tons of plastic waste
leaks into aquatic ecosystems
annually.

Corporate Contribution: The Coca-

Cola Company is the world's top
plastic polluter, accounting for 11% of
all branded plastic waste found in a
global audit. Other major contributors
in the top three include PepsiCo and
Nestlé.

Illegal Fishing: Up to 20% of the

global seafood catch is considered
illegal, unreported, and unregulated
(IUU) fishing, which depletes fish
stocks and harms marine
ecosystems.

Ocean Acidification: Since the

Industrial Revolution, the average pH
of ocean surface waters has fallen by

Sources -United Nations Environment Programme -

Wikipedia

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

-The Major Contributors: Identifying the
Drivers of Degradation?
. 1. The Problem Starts with Us 🏡

The ocean's biggest threat isn't something far away; it's what we
do every single day, often without even thinking about it. A
staggering 80% of all marine pollution comes from what we do
on land. Think about it: the fertilizers from our farms, the oil from
our roads, and the trash we don't dispose of properly all flow
through our rivers and streams, acting as direct pipelines to the
sea. It's a shocking fact that a recent study found just 1,000
rivers are responsible for nearly 80% of all the plastic
pollution entering our oceans.

2. The Big Business Problem 🏭

This isn't just a collective problem; it's a corporate one. The very
products you see on store shelves are major drivers of this crisis.
For example, the fossil fuel industry—with companies like
ExxonMobil—is at the heart of climate change, which makes the
ocean hotter and more acidic. And then there’s plastic. A global
audit found that The Coca-Cola Company is the world's top
plastic polluter, with their products making up 11% of all branded
plastic waste found in the environment. Other brands you know,
like PepsiCo and Nestlé, are right behind them. When these
companies' business models rely on cheap, single-use plastic, our
oceans pay the price.
3. The "No One's in Charge" Problem ⚖️

The high seas—the vast, open ocean—belong to no one, which

means they are easy to exploit. This lack of governance has
created a massive black market. The problem of illegal,
unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is now a massive
$26 to $50 billion global business that is essentially stealing
from the ocean. Without clear rules and enforcement, the ocean
becomes an easy target for those who seek to profit from its
resources, leaving it depleted and damaged for everyone else.
 80% of all marine pollution originates from land-based activities.

Just 1,000 rivers are responsible for nearly 80% of global riverine plastic
emissions.

The Coca-Cola Company is the world's top corporate plastic polluter, accounting
for 11% of the branded plastic waste found globally.

Illegal fishing is a massive global black market valued at an estimated $10 to

$23.5 billion annually.
The Global Response: Major Schemes
and Initiatives?

International Efforts: Forging a Path to Protection 🌎

The world is beginning to realize that the ocean crisis cannot be

solved by a single nation. The United Nations Sustainable
Development Goal 14 (SDG 14), with its deadline of 2030, sets
ambitious targets to protect marine life and ensure sustainable
use of ocean resources. A major milestone in this global
cooperation is the High Seas Treaty, formally known as the
BBNJ Agreement. Signed by over 80 nations, this treaty
provides a legal framework to protect marine biodiversity in the
two-thirds of the ocean that lies beyond national jurisdiction. This
is a crucial step because until now, these international waters
were largely a free-for-all, vulnerable to overfishing and
unregulated exploitation. While its full impact will depend on
implementation, the treaty signals an unprecedented commitment
to collective ocean stewardship.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs): Sanctuaries for the Sea

A key strategy for achieving global conservation goals is the

establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). These are
designated zones where human activity is restricted to allow
ecosystems to recover and thrive. MPAs act as crucial nurseries for
fish, helping to replenish overfished stocks in surrounding areas.
Despite their proven effectiveness, only about 9% of the world's
oceans are currently designated as MPAs. The goal of the "30 by
30" initiative, supported by the UN's Convention on Biological
Diversity, is to protect 30% of the world's oceans by 2030.
While this target is ambitious, the current rate of implementation
means it will require a massive, coordinated effort to succeed.

Corporate and Community-Led Action: A Collaborative Response 🤝

The effort to save the oceans extends far beyond government

policies. Corporations are increasingly joining the fight, though
their motives are sometimes debated. The Coca-Cola Company,
for example, has committed to making its bottles with an average
of 50% recycled plastic by 2030, while also aiming to collect
and recycle a bottle for every one it sells. Non-profit organizations
like The Ocean Cleanup have also made significant strides,
removing over 30 million kilograms of plastic from oceans and
rivers. Meanwhile, at the grassroots level, countless individuals
and communities are making a difference through local beach
cleanups and community-led conservation projects. This three-
pronged approach—from international agreements and national
policies to corporate and local action—shows that every level of
society is now a part of the solution.

Conclusion

This isn't just about treaties and percentages; it's about us. We are
all players in this story. The fight to save the ocean isn't a single
person's job; it's a monumental relay race where every nation,
every company, and every individual has to pass the baton.

Just think about it: we're all connected to the sea, whether we live
on the coast or in the middle of a city. The air we breathe and the
food we eat depend on it. We've seen how our pollution, our
climate-changing habits, and our overfishing have delivered a
series of devastating blows. But we're not giving up.

We've seen countries come together to write new rules for the
game. We've seen companies like Coca-Cola finally start to take
responsibility for their plastic. And most importantly, we've seen
ordinary people—from a fishing community in the Philippines
creating a sanctuary for marine life to countless volunteers
cleaning up beaches—prove that small actions can lead to
massive change.

This effort to protect the oceans isn't just for the whales and the
fish. It's for us. It's the ultimate act of self-preservation, ensuring
that the life they sustain will be here for generations to come

REFRENCES

1. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP):

https://www.unep.org
2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA): https://www.noaa.gov
3. Break Free From Plastic:
https://www.breakfreefromplastic.org
4. World Economic Forum: https://www.weforum.org
5. The Ocean Cleanup: https://theoceancleanup.com
6. UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 14):
https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal14
7. Marine Conservation Institute: https://marine-
conservation.org

AUTHOR –1. RAHIL AMEEN

2 . SAGAR
3. SUBEK SINGH