Toxic tides of change: Ocean pollution as a cultural tipping point

TL;DR

The paper introduces a new framework to assess how ocean pollution affects both physical and cultural health of communities reliant on marine resources.

Contribution

The novel 'cultural tipping point' framework integrates cultural and physical health impacts of ocean pollution.

Findings

Current ocean pollution regulations are insufficient and inequitable, focusing only on physical health.

The cultural tipping point framework combines concepts from anthropology, marine sciences, and Indigenous studies.

The framework aims to make cultural impacts of pollution visible in global governance.

Abstract

This paper offers a new perspective on the valuation of the impacts of industrial ocean pollution. Rising levels of industrial pollutants have a profound impact on marine resource-dependent peoples, particularly those dependent on seafood consumption. We argue that current regulation of these pollutants is both insufficient and inequitable, as it only accounts for impacts on physical health while ignoring cultural implications. This paper introduces the “cultural tipping point” as a new framework that integrates the impacts of ocean pollution on peoples’ physical and cultural health and well-being. Drawing on anthropology, marine sciences, public health, and critical Indigenous studies, the cultural tipping point synthesizes diverse concepts of “cultural keystone species,” food sovereignty, and industrial pollution. Ultimately, our goal is to make the cultural impacts of ocean pollution legible within global governance networks, and to advocate for greater allocation of societal resources to address this issue.