Socio-economic impacts

Quite apart from direct health impacts, land-based sources of waste are having a very significant impact on various socio-economic sectors. Of course the most directly impacted sector is that of fisheries .

Sea level rise is likely to drive major socio-economic change in some sectors, as storm surges flood low-lying lands. These are particularly problematic in areas prone to cyclones such as Bangladesh. Storm surges in this country regularly flood large areas and kill thousands of people. Most recently, in 1991, a massive storm surge killed 139,000 people. While such storms have occurred through history, their occurrence is likely to increase in many areas as a result of climate change. Apart from the direct human impacts, such flooding events destroy crops and infrastructure, and can leave prolonged problems of soil salinisation. Even without such extreme events sea level rise is likely to lead to coastal erosion, with associated damage to infrastructure or massive costs in coastal engineering.

Sedimentation and even solid waste can also cause direct problem in a few cases, notably through physical interference with the infilling of shipping lanes or even the blocking of intakes where sea water is taken up for desalination or industrial cooling purposes. The tourist industry is also highly sensitive and perception of pollution can drive changes the market. Increasing information regarding the location of clean (or dirty) beaches has become available through the establishment of international standards and is now playing a part in location choice or rates of visitor return.