Oceans and Human Health

Human health and well-being are tied to the vitality of the global ocean and coastal systems on which so many live and rely. We engage with these extraordinary environments to enhance both our health and our well-being. But, we need to recognize that introducing contaminants and otherwise altering these ocean systems can harm human health and well-being in significant and substantial ways. These are complex, challenging, and critically important themes. How the human relationship to the oceans evolves in coming decades may be one of the most important connections in understanding our personal and social well-being. Yet, our understanding of this relationship is far too limited. This remarkable volume brings experts from diverse disciplines and builds a workable understanding of breadth and depth of the processes both social and environmental that will help us to limit future costs and enhance the benefits of sustainable marine systems. In particular, the authors have developed a shared view that the global coastal environment is under threat through intensified natural resource utilization, as well as changes to global climate and other environmental systems. All these changes contribute individually, but more importantly cumulatively, to higher risks for public health and to the global burden of disease. This pioneering book will be of value to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students taking courses in public health, environmental, economic, and policy fields. Additionally, the treatment of these complex systems is of essential value to the policy community responsible for these questions and to the broader audience for whom these issues are more directly connected to their own health and well-being. "e;The seas across this planet and their effects on human society and its destiny are a fascinating subject for analysis and insights derived from intellectual inquiry. This diverse and complex subject necessarily requires a blending of knowledge from different disciplines, which the authors of this volume have achieved with remarkable success."e; "e;The following pages in this volume are written in a lucid and very readable style, and provide a wealth of knowledge and insightful analysis, which is a rare amalgam of multi-disciplinary perspectives and unique lines of intellectual inquiry. It is valuable to get a volume such as this, which appeals as much to a non-specialist reader as it does to those who are specialists in the diverse but interconnected subjects covered in this volume."e; (From the "e;Foreword"e; written by, R K Pachauri, Director General, TERI and Chairman, IPCC)

Human health and well-being are tied to the vitality of the globalocean and coastal systems on which so many live and rely. Weengage with these extraordinary environments to enhance both ourhealth and our well-being. But, we need to recognize thatintroducing contaminants and otherwise altering these ocean systemscan harm human health and well-being in significant and substantialways.These are complex, challenging, and critically importantthemes. How the human relationship to the oceans evolves incoming decades may be one of the most important connections inunderstanding our personal and social well-being. Yet, ourunderstanding of this relationship is far too limited.This remarkable volume brings experts from diverse disciplinesand builds a workable understanding of breadth anddepth of the processes - both social and environmental that will help us to limit future costs and enhance thebenefits of sustainable marine systems. In particular, theauthors have developed a shared view that the global coastalenvironment is under threat through intensified natural resourceutilization, as well as changes to global climate and otherenvironmental systems. All these changes contributeindividually, but more importantly cumulatively, to higher risksfor public health and to the global burden of disease.This pioneering book will be of value to advanced undergraduateand postgraduate students taking courses in public healthenvironmental, economic, and policy fields. Additionally, thetreatment of these complex systems is of essential value to thepolicy community responsible for these questions and to the broaderaudience for whom these issues are more directly connected to theirown health and well-being."The seas across this planet and their effects on human societyand its destiny are a fascinating subject for analysis and insightsderived from intellectual inquiry. This diverse and complex subjectnecessarily requires a blending of knowledge from differentdisciplines, which the authors of this volume have achieved withremarkable success.""The following pages in this volume are written in a lucid andvery readable style, and provide a wealth of knowledge andinsightful analysis, which is a rare amalgam of multi-disciplinaryperspectives and unique lines of intellectual inquiry. It isvaluable to get a volume such as this, which appeals as much to anon-specialist reader as it does to those who are specialists inthe diverse but interconnected subjects covered in thisvolume."(From the "Foreword" written by, R K Pachauri, Director GeneralTERI and Chairman, IPCC)

List of Contributors viiForeword xiAbout the Companion Website xiiiSection One: Coastal Seas, Human Health, and Well-Being: Setting the Stage1 Influences of the Oceans on Human Health and Well-Being 32 Integrating Frameworks to Assess Human Health and Well-Being in Marine Environmental Systems 23Section Two: Anthropogenic Drivers/Pressures and the State of Coastal Seas3 Coastal Demography: Distribution, Composition, and Dynamics 494 The Seas, Ecosystem Services, and Human Well-Being 715 Measuring Social Value and Human Well-Being 113Section Three: Impacts on Coastal Environments6 The Impact of Climate Change on Coastal Ecosystems 1417 Coastal Systems and Access to Safe and Potable Water 177Section Four: Responses8 Management-Driven Assessments of the Coastal Oceans 2039 Globalization and Human Health: Regulatory Response and the Potential for Reform 231Section Five: Common Conclusions and Horizon Scanning10 Emerging Issues in Oceans and Human Health: Managing Uncertainty and New Knowledge 26711 Final Thoughts and Future Actions 291Index 299