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A Critical Review Involving Socio-Cultural Imperatives and Behavioural Psychology as Part of Global Plastic Pollution Mitigating Models in Marine Ecosystem
Summary
This critical review examines socio-cultural and behavioral psychology factors necessary for effective marine plastic pollution mitigation, arguing that science-based ecological strategies alone are insufficient. It highlights behavioral conservation models like the Beat-the-Bead policy and Citizen Science programs as effective complements to regulatory frameworks.
A world without plastics, or synthetic organic polymers, seems unimaginable today, yet their large-scale production and use have brought in its wake massive environmental pollution. A holistic approach is needed to address this multifaceted, wide-spread and complex issue of plastic pollution. Consequently, the objective of this paper was to undertake a critical review of socio-cultural imperatives and behavioural psychology as part of global plastic pollution mitigating models in the marine ecosystem using data and information from several sources including online and off-library sources. Data gathered reveals that the marine ecosystem (the world's oceans, rivers, lakes, coral reefs estuaries, and beaches) receives equivalence of 2,000 garbage trucks full of plastic dumped daily into the marine ecosystem and science-based ecological strategies, like waste management, end-of-life recycling options and replacement with bioplastics alone, are unable to provide the needed mitigation measures. Hence, the proposed. mitigating models shift with interdisciplinary solutions involving socio-cultural imperatives and behavioural psychology. Positive conservation behavioural models, such as the Beat-the-Bead policy and Citizen Science programme, have been highlighted in this review. Effective prevention is a long-term process that must begin at the ground level with smarter consumer choices, industrial consciousness and responsibility, and an overarching local to global governance framework. This kind of regulatory framework would expedite adaptation and make the socio-ecological system it oversees more resistant to long-term, multi-scale changes in human behaviour.