A presentation by Dr. Demilade Fawemiwo at the World Oceans Day Virtual Summit, 2020.

1. SCIENCE IS NOT ENOUGH TO
SAVE THE OCEANS
DR DEMILADE FAYEMIWO

2. WHY OUR UNDERSTANDING OF INNOVATION
MATTERS
In the past decade, innovation has been more evident in the technology sector; and as
a result, when many people hear the word ‘innovation’ the first thought is to design
something technological. But in addressing goals such as sustainable oceans, it is
important to understand that science by itself is insufficient

3. INTERLINKING SUSTAINABLE OCEANS TO OTHER
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

4. LIFE ON LAND
It takes 450 YEARS for a plastic bottle to
decompose

5. CLEAN WATER AND SANITATION

6. LIFE BELOW WATER AND HOW IT IMPACTS US

7. LIFE BELOW WATER AND HOW IT IMPACTS US
Overfishing is a problem that is not discussed
enough, especially in developing coastal regions
where residents enjoy seafood menus.
Overfishing affects species biodiversity and can
upset the balance of the ocean, resulting in
ocean deserts. This inevitably affects the
seafood chain

8. THE APPROACH SO FAR
Pyrolysis of plastics to fuel (image by Neha
Patni)
We need to stop
mopping the floor
and close the tap

9. WHERE WE NEED TO INNOVATE FOR SUSTAINABLE
OCEANS
Science Education Policy
These three different sectors need to work in tandem if we are going to
successfully address degradation in the oceans
A three-
prong
approac
h

10. SCIENCE: CLEANING OUR OCEANS AND
UNDERSTANDING UNDERLYING MECHANISMS
• Oceans across the world are polluted mainly by:
• Dredged material
• Industrial waste
• Runoff from agricultural land results in high nitrate pollution;
• Runoff from informal settlements and septic tanks (sewage sludge)
• Runoff from badly tarred highways and car oil spills (oil contamination)
• Runoff from badly managed landfills and solid waste disposal sites(plastic,
medical and household wastes)
Information obtained from National Ocean service; US dept. of commerce

11. SCIENCE: CLEANING OUR OCEANS AND
UNDERSTANDING UNDERLYING MECHANISMS
Oceans are also polluted by bad air quality
Fayemiwo, 2019
(Adapted from US

12. HOW CAN SCIENCE ADDRESS THESE
PROBLEMS?
Image from odinafrica.org
Oceans are vast! Working within an
ocean to correct problems that
emanate from land is almost
impossible.
To correct the problems our
oceans face, we must innovate and
implement on land

13. • Contribute to a low waste approach by:
• Designing systems that utilize industrial waste and/or treat industrial
waste to tertiary level.
• Synthesizing new agricultural products that are free of harmful
compounds that can result in ocean degradation
• Utilize indigenous knowledge to design systems through which
agricultural wastes can be utilized further within the same sector or
other sectors
• Ajibade (2007) gave examples of blood meal preparation, black soap
production, cooking fuels for weeds and other plants and composting
• Scale up sustainable production of biodegradable versions of
products like plastic and plastic bags
SCIENCE: LOW WASTE APPROACH

14. WASTE REDUCTION: RECYCLING AND
REUSING
• Recycle metals
• In developing regions, metal
waste can be used to produce
jewellery, in construction, home
furnishings, cans for drinks
• Collect dredged materials and reuse
them in the construction industry

15. EDUCATION
Although science is great, it is sometimes a treatment of symptoms that may or may
not go away. To ensure sustainable oceans, education is one of two root responses. It
is important that we:
• Redesign the science syllabus to help students understand how the oceans contribute
to environmental stability
• DID YOU KNOW?
• Oceans contribute more than 50% of the oxygen we breathe and takes up 50
times more CO2 than the atmosphere
• Oceans help to regulate our climate by transporting heat from the equator to the
poles to regulate our weather patterns
• Ocean-dependent businesses contribute significantly to GDP
• Oceans are a source of healthy seafood which are rich in proteins and nutrients
• Oceans are a source of medicinal plants that can help treat some chronic illnesses
• The biodiversity of the ocean is higher than that of land indicating great
possibilities
• Oceans serve as a source of potable water in some coastal countries like Tunisia

16. • Increase awareness of the dangers of
using certain materials such as plastic.
• Reinforce the understanding that there
can be better packaging materials that are
less harmful to human health
• Educate on the use of household wastes
for compost and other materials
EDUCATION

17. We can also use indigenous knowledge and folklore to educate
children about the importance of healthy oceans. At the moment,
we have many scary ocean stories
EDUCATION

18. • Encourage positive experiences with the ocean. We cannot
encourage learning about the ocean with scary stories
EDUCATION
The Island School in the Bahamas
already encourages this. More of
such institutions can be
developed to encourage positive
relationships with water bodies

19. POLICY
The key thing policymakers need to understand is that policies that protect
the land also protect the ocean.
• Draft, implement and enforce policies that enforce
regulation of industrial pollutant disposal.
In some developing regions, there are no disposal limits to
cancer-causing compounds, oil spills, pesticides and other
chemical pollutants that pollute land and end up in the
ocean.
• Ban the production of single-use non-degradable plastics
and provide a timeline for plastic-reliant organizations to
innovate. This will not only enrich science research, it will
force organization to redesign their production strategies.
• Collaborate with biodiversity agencies to regulate fishing

20. We have a great responsibility to preserve the oceans. Let us collaborate and
do our part