Collective Environmental Action to Preserve the Gulf’s Marine Ecosystem

Abstract

The Gulf’s marine ecosystems are vital for economic activities and the security of food and other necessities for tens of millions of people. The environmental footprint arising from the use of the Gulf’s environmental resources is becoming larger. With climate change and the expansion of coastal infrastructure, mitigating the environmental challenges that face the Gulf requires collective action and transboundary cooperation. In 1978, the littoral states of the Gulf formed the Regional Organization for the Protection of the Marine Environment (ROPME) as a collective action platform towards enhancing the health of the Gulf – for example, through common measures to reduce pollution from oil and other substances. However, this organisation does not tackle many of the contemporary challenges facing marine ecosystems. Regional environmental cooperation also needs to be expanded to other issues, such as climate change impacts and the mitigation of environmental risks. This chapter explains the need for expanding and enhancing cooperation and provides examples and future directions for Gulf-wide environmental cooperation.