Towards a 'theory of change' for ocean plastics: a socio-oceanography approach to the global challenge of plastic pollution

Horton, Alice A.; Henderson, Lesley; Bowyer, Cressida; Courtene-Jones, Winnie; Garrard, Samantha L.; Kulsum, Nieke Monika; McKay, Deirdre; Manikarachchige, Imali; Sreekumar, Sreejith; Stanton, Thomas

Abstract

Socio-oceanography is an emerging field which mobilises insights from natural and social sciences to explore the inter-connectedness of societal relationships with the ocean and to adopt a holistic approach to solving key oceanographic and societal challenges. It is within this specific context that we explore and reflect upon diverse communities in relation to engaging with plastic pollution in the ocean, one of the foremost socio-environmental challenges of our time. We establish definitions of 'community' , arguing that communities are not 'out there' waiting to be engaged with but are dynamic and (re)constituted in four key contexts-geographical, practical, virtual, and cir-cumstantial. We outline some 'rules of engagement' and draw upon several international case studies in the context of plastic pollution to evidence and emphasise the value of working with members of diverse communities to better address socio-oceanographic challenges. In the context of plastic pollution, communities have a vital role to play in terms of co-creating knowledge, lived experience, diverse expertise, and agency to bring about social change. Given the ubiquity of plastics in our day-today lives, and subsequently as an environmental pollutant, no community is unaffected by this issue. Relating to socio-oceanography, we argue that structural power imbalances in terms of how diverse communities and natural scientists are traditionally positioned within academic research mean that 'formal' scientific knowledge is frequently privileged, and members of communities risk being positioned as 'empty vessels'. Moving away from this 'deficit' model where knowledge is simply transferred or alternatively extracted from communities allows us to progress towards an inclusive 'socio-oceanography in society' approach, where members of communities are valued as vital in prioritising and addressing socio-oceanography issues which affect everyday life. Accessibility, openness, ethics and fairness in data are also essential in ensuring that research outcomes can be applied widely outside the academic community.

Citation

Horton, A. A., Henderson, L., Bowyer, C., Courtene-Jones, W., Garrard, S. L., Kulsum, N. M., McKay, D., Manikarachchige, I., Sreekumar, S., & Stanton, T. (2025). Towards a 'theory of change' for ocean plastics: a socio-oceanography approach to the global challenge of plastic pollution. Microplastics and Nanoplastics, 5(1), https://doi.org/10.1186/s43591-025-00127-8

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 5, 2025
• Online Publication Date: May 13, 2025
• Publication Date: May 13, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: May 28, 2025
• Journal: Microplastics and Nanoplastics
• Electronic ISSN: 2662-4966
• Publisher: SpringerOpen
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 5
• Issue: 1
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s43591-025-00127-8
• Keywords: Citizen Science, Social Science, Plastic Pollution, Environmental Science, Social Justice
• Public URL: https://keele-repository.worktribe.com/output/1238563
• Publisher URL: https://microplastics.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s43591-025-00127-8