Table 2.

The method resulted in two futures, which focus on pollutants outlined in Table 1. The two futures are told here in a narrative format. The Business-As-Usual (BAU) future has been informed by current trends and predictions in marine pollution. The technically feasible sustainable future imagines what the future may be like should we implement the actions outlined in this paper

A wasted opportunity (Business-As-Usual future) People have forgotten or ignored that their world is mostly ocean. Immersed in our virtual lives, people are disconnected from their environment. Unchecked growth is status quo. Surrounded by rising quantities of pollution, people do not see the sea, although they peer in wonder at the polluted waves breaking on their shores, while peeling back the plastic from their shrink-wrapped vegetables and listening to the constant hum of marine traffic travelling across the seas. Politicians pontificate but laws are toothless, made then broken, useless distractions from the real issue. Our media is swamped with images of dead seabirds, turtles and fish, and marine species entangled in fishing gear or plastics. News of die-offs from eutrophication or toxic pollution episodes is a regular occurrence. The marketing alongside these news stories on our screens is still telling us to buy more, consume more. The growing global population in combination with an increasing rural–urban migration has intensified demands on waste collection and treatment systems, urban drainage and coastal development. Although some regions, cities and industries have adopted the sustainable practices recommended by the UN to meet the SDGs, the majority struggle to manage the resource and waste demands of their rapidly growing urban populations. As a result, the amount of untreated wastewater entering the ocean has escalated. Grass-roots movements to educate and encourage communities to adopt sustainable, less wasteful products and practices continue to grow. Positive changes can be seen in those communities. However, the slow voluntary changes made by industry and the lack of enforcement/legislation made by governments has allowed marine pollution to increase and the warnings we heard ten years ago on the implications this will have on our health and livelihoods have become reality Stemming the flow and proceeding with caution (technically feasible sustainable future): The ocean is acknowledged for the goods and services it provides and viewed with appreciation and opportunity. People understand our impact on the sea and its life-supporting role for us and society acts in accordance with this view. We recognise that cleaning our ocean and addressing SDG 14, Life Below Water, we also contribute to SDG 15, Life on Land. Pollution clean-up efforts are targeted to most effective and feasible sites, at the pollutant source, along their way to the sea, and at their ocean sink. Technology is used to prevent, filter, clean, repair and restore our shores, the water column and the seabed floor. The demand for re-useable, less-toxic and less-packaged products means that manufactures have shifted to sustainable production and packaging of goods, contributing to the achievement of SDG 12, responsible production and consumption. Government standards require recycled materials to be used in the manufacturing of new products, and there is a viable, thriving circular economy. Citizen scientists roam the shores, reporting and sharing their data with the world. Volunteer community groups continue to clean the beaches of rubbish and are starting to collect fewer items each visit. Guided by science and indigenous knowledge, politicians adopt the precautionary principle and our laws are equitable, enforced and effective. Wealthy nations have started to responsibly manage their waste and are gradually ceasing exports of their waste to poorer nations. Across the globe more and more regions, cities and industries are meeting SDG targets, adopting sustainable practices that suit their culture and landscape. Breeding grounds for marine mammals are protected from noise propagating devices and the revegetation of inland waterways and wetlands are progressing. Shifts to more sustainable agricultural practices have removed the reliance on large applications of fertilisers and as such eutrophication events are falling. The health and well-being of communities and life is on the rise