Plastic pollution in ocean
Dr. Mendenhall takes on the problem of plastic pollution in a chapter of her book manuscript, Planetary Geopolitics and the Ocean Governance Regime. Chapter 4 considers the ‘land dominates the sea’ principle that underlies the political geography of ocean space and has important ramifications for land-based pollution in the marine environment. The chapter investigates the fit between coastal circulation patterns and the political geography of ocean governance by comparing the problems of coastal dead zones and marine plastic debris. A key question concerns Article 194, which obligates states to take necessary measures to “prevent, reduce and control” land-based pollution. Why does this provision seem inactive, in terms of what states have (not) done to reduce these two coastal pollution problems? The chapter argues that the political geography of ocean governance is based on flawed assumptions about the nature of land-based pollution, and the incentive structure it creates for coastal states.
Additional Information
Elizabeth Mendenhall’s website