INVESTIGATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF MARINE POLLUTION

Marine pollution represents a significant threat to global biodiversity and sustainable development. The introduction of pollutants—ranging from discarded plastics to industrial chemicals and nutrient-rich agricultural runoff—disrupts fragile marine ecosystems, leading to habitat degradation, species endangerment, and the overall loss of biodiversity (Barnes & Hughes, 1999). This complex problem has been a subject of increasing concern since foundational environmental texts highlighted the pervasive nature of pollutants and their far-reaching consequences (Carson, 1962). The issue is not confined to a single source. Roughly 80% of all marine pollution originates from land-based activities, a finding corroborated by reports from the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) . A significant portion of this is plastic waste, with an estimated millions of metric tons entering the ocean annually (Jambeck et al., 2015). These pollutants undergo a journey from land to sea, often traveling through rivers and waterways, where they accumulate in coastal zones before dispersing into the open ocean