OJS (University of Applied Sciences Velika Gorica)
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Marine litter in the seas and oceans - Do we communicate the problem enough?
Get PDFINTRODUCTION
Marine litter is one of the fastest growing threats to the marine ecosystem with environmental and economic consequences. Litter is released in the sea exclusively due to human activities on land or at sea. The results of the research indicate that about 12 million tons of plastic litter enters the Mediterranean annually. Plastic pollution is still on the rise and could quadruple by 2050 without an action to prevent it at all levels. (Environmental Investigation Agency, n.d.)
Irrespective of a number of policy initiatives (action plans, programmes and projects) related to the reduction of marine litter at the global, EU and national levels, this problem is generally not clearly and intensively communicated to the general public. Therefore, this paper provides an overview of the situation related to marine pollution in the Republic of Croatia. It gives an overview of recent communication campaigns with a description of promotional and educational messages related to marine litter.
Based on the conducted analyses, there is a certain gap between the increasing marine litter and the insufficient communication of it to the general public. Therefore, the paper overlooks a set of measures for more active communication of this problem to the general public as one of the key measures for reducing marine litter in the future and as one of the most persistent elements of blue growth.
METHODOLOGY
The paper uses the desktop analysis method, which will provide extensive national and international literature review (studies, research, scientific, professional papers and books) related to the topic of marine litter. Using the method of the Internet and social networks search, information on communication campaigns related to marine litter issue will be collected in order to assess the level of public awareness. The comparative analysis of good practice exams related to communication about marine litter will be carried out. Based on the synthesis of the analysis of the situation and collected examples of good practices in communicating marine litter topics, a proposal will be prepared for decision-makers to communicate these topics more intuitively and to formulate communication messages more clearly.
THE RESULTS
Litter is released in the sea from various sources: by direct and indirect entry into the sea from the mainland, most often through rivers, drainage systems or wind, and by activities at sea. The main land sources of litter are coastal activities, i.e. unregulated landfills of urban areas on the coast of the sea or rivers, drainage systems, litter washed into storm drains and waterways and wind-blown landfill litter from the coast and tourist activities (Lebreton et al., 2018). The increase of the population on the coast and intensive economic activities, especially tourism, maritime transport and fisheries and aquaculture, have resulted in an increased input of litter into the coastal and marine environment of the Adriatic Sea (Santoro, et.al., 2018).
The problem of marine litter is increasingly visible and evident in the Republic of Croatia, and the knowledge of its problems largely corresponds to the situation in other parts of the Mediterranean (Bule et.al., 2020). Significant amounts of microplastics have been recorded in the Adriatic and its impact is not limited to the environment, but affects air, water, food, including salt. Plastic can contain certain concentrations of toxic components up to 1000 times higher than normal in the marine environment.
The key objectives for public policies related to the reduction of marine litter in Croatia are (1) to establish a marine litter management system, (2) to improve the waste management information system, (3) to continuously implement education and information activities and (4) to strengthen international cooperation on tackling marine litter.
Up until now several significant communication activities and tools have been implemented in Croatia to raise awareness of marine litter, such as the campaign For our Beautiful Country, WWF Campaign on Marine Litter, Green Clean-up and Blue Clean-up Campaigns. Comparative analysis of implemented campaigns in Croatia with global campaigns like Ocean Conservancy Campaign: Trash Free Seas, campaigns organised by Clean Seas and Sea Shepherd shows that there are a number of possibilities for more intensive promotion of marine litter in the Republic of Croatia. One of the key measures to strengthen the communication of this issue is the organization of information - educational campaigns for the interested public on the prevention of marine litter. (Thiel M. et. al., 2023).
Informative and educational campaigns should be carried out at the local level in the coastal area for the local population, local interest groups, economic subjects (hospitality accommodation services, tourism, transport, fisheries, etc.), associations, NGOs, schools, and for the local media. At the national level, communication includes the following target groups: the general public/citizens of the Republic of Croatia and tourists visiting Croatia, relevant institutions at the national level, relevant institutions at the EU and international level, educational and scientific institutions, employers, employers' associations, craft and other business interest groups, civil society organizations involved in environmental and nature conservation programs and projects, general media (national newspapers, websites, radio and television) and specialized media
Social networks in the time of crisis – Ukraine as a virtual battlefield
No full textPrevious research has established that during all phases of a crisis, people resort to different means of communication in order to get more information (McIntyre et al., 2012, Nelson et al., 2009, Lachlan et al., 2009), in order to reduce uncertainty ( Lachlan et al., 2010), and to gain a sense of control over the situation (Lachlan et al., 2016). At the beginning of the 21st century, mass communication is taking on new forms. The exponential growth and affirmation of the Internet as a very important channel for communication has minimized the influence of traditional media. Digitization processes, interactivity, multimedia, connection and networking of a large number of people and expediency in the dissemination of information enabled the wide use of social networks in times of crisis. In the first part of the paper, previous research on the use of social networks in crisis communication was synthesized, through the presentation of best practices for effective communication. The second part of the paper provides a detailed analysis of the use of social networks on the example of the war in Ukraine, answering two important questions: 1. how are social networks used to spread competing national narratives and disinformation in times of crisis? and 2. what is the role of social media owners and government policies in limiting disinformation
University students’ awareness and attitudes regarding environmental responsibility - An ESP perspective
No full textDrawing on UNESCO's Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) for 2030 Framework, the importance of integrating environmental programs into different disciplines and subject areas at the tertiary education level is highlighted in the paper. The main aim was to investigate whether computer science students’ personal sense of responsibility and concern in regard to protecting the environment have grown over the years due to the availability of information on sustainability issues. Students’ attitudes toward taking a more active role in caring for the environment were examined and the results were compared with those from the previous study conducted in 2017. This earlier study was a part of an ecological approach to language teaching implemented in the professional English course at the University of Applied Sciences Velika Gorica. It is crucial to deepen the culture of ESD. Further, it appears that recent computer science students are better informed of sustainability practices as well as risks in the context of Green Information Technology (IT) area than the previous groups. With regard to that, by using a survey it was investigated if current computer science students’ attitudes toward more active pro-environmental behaviour and thinking were significantly more positive than of those students from the previous study
The societal security understanding through the contemporary risks and threats
No full textThe expansion and deepening of the security concept, has initiated emergence and increase of the importance of new types of security, new security actors, new reference security objects, etc., in the past 30 years. As a result, there is a consensus among the research and academic community today, about the fact that security is a variable category whose understanding and interpretation is dependent on a number of different aspects and point of views. Within the framework of the new expanded and deepened understanding of security, the concept of the so-called societal security occupies a significant place. The focus of the paper is specifically directed to the analysis of the characteristics and essence of societal security, as well as to the analysis of contemporary risks and threats to this type of security. In this regard, the purpose of the paper analysis is aimed in detection of the (structural) risks and threats to societal security and in investigating whether and how they can become a national security issue, especially in multi-ethnic or on various other grounds divided societies
Stress, Floods, and other Disasters: Impact of Multiple Crisis Events on Physical and Mental Health
No full textFloods are the most frequent disasters in the world, they are full of stressors, and result in numerous victims and consequences for the physical and mental health of people.
The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of floods as a crisis event on the physical and mental health of the affected population. During the data collection, two new crises emerged. Part of the sample was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and devastating earthquakes. Therefore, the paper additionally analyzes the effects of these events on the results.
Data were collected through a field and online survey on a sample of the Croatian population living in the flood-prone area (n = 42) and a sample of the population of the nearby area that was not exposed to the floods (n = 38). The questionnaire contained questions about the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, and measures of stress (Physical Stress Reactions and Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale 21).
The results show that residents of flooded areas showed on average more physical stress reactions (t (78) = 4.19, p <.01) and fewer psychological reactions to stress (t (78) = 5.79, p <.01) compared to residents of non-flooded areas. Participants affected by the pandemic and earthquake on average showed significantly more symptoms of psychological stress, especially depression and anxiety compared to participants unaffected by these crises (t (78) = 2.96 - 5.46, p <.01), while the difference in the intensity of physical symptoms did not appear.
The obtained results are difficult to interpret due to the interference of three crisis events and factors that may have influenced the results. However, this specific and unplanned research situation leads to the conclusion that crisis events have a significant stressful impact and consequences on the physical and mental health of the affected population
Crisis Management and Attitudes on Climate Change
No full textThis paper explores business school students’ climate change awareness and engagement capacity in relation to future engagement in the work environment. As part of planned longitudinal action research, it also discusses teachers’ accountability in the education process in higher education institutions. Research in this area has tended to deal more with awareness and less with opportunities to translate results into action. Students may be highly aware of climate change but are likely to ignore the key messages. Teachers, on the other hand, sometimes act as if they see no elephant in the room. Focusing on the case of a U.S. business school in Croatia with many Croatian students, a triangulated methodology is used, including a survey, a focus group, and teacher observation. 
Medical Students’ Perception of Organization and Informatization of Teaching During the COVID-19 Pandemic
No full textBackground and aim: Outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has had big impact on higher education system. To prevent spreading of the disease, distance learning was organised. The aim of this research was to assess medical students’ perception of quality of educational process during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Respondents and methods: Online research was conducted during May 2021 on 142 students of fourth, fifth and sixth year of School of Medicine University of Zagreb. This research was conducted using Questionnaire for Assessing Quality of Distance Learning in Biomedicine Studies. It consists of 28 items which are rated using 7-point Likert scale and are distributed in six subscales. All statistical analyses were conducted using IBM® SPSS® Statistics for Windows (Version 25.0).
Results: Statistically significant difference was found in Perception of Teachers’ Work between fourth and sixth year (p = 0.012), as well as Perception of Educational Environment and Personal Academic Achievements between fourth and fifth, and fourth and sixth year of study (p < 0.001). The lowest mean for all subscales was found in fourth year, except subscales Perception of Personal Academic Activity (3.51 ± 1.32) and Perception of Equipment Quality (6.22 ± 1.04). The highest mean was found in sixth year for subscales Perception of Distance Learning Organization (3.47 ± 1.04), Perception of Cooperation (4.39 ± 1.04) and Perception of Teachers’ Work (4.73 ± 0.96). For subscales Perception of Educational Environment and Personal Academic Achievements and Perception of Equipment Quality, the highest mean was found in the fifth year (5.42 ± 1.14 and 6.28 ± 1.01, respectively). Majority of students were satisfied with equipment quality and Internet connection they used, however most of them (N = 68, 47.9 %) thought that teachers were not qualified enough to use tools for online teaching.
Conclusion: The highest quality of educational process was perceived by sixth-year (64.9 % of the total score), and the lowest by fourth-year medical students (58.7 % of the total score). Teachers should continue with their education in order to maximize the use of digital technology in achieving educational outcomes, especially in biomedical area
The World Economic and Financial Crisis Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Impact on Accounting Information System
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic and the measures related to its suppression had serious economic consequences in the world with the onset of the global recession. Therefore, the modern market environment was characterized by significant business instability. More specifically, in N. Macedonia, most of the companies in almost all sectors have recorded declining revenues and liquidity. The turbulence is primarily reflected in the constant market changes, the increasing technological advances and the increasing demands placed on modern business entities. The mentioned market trends require fast reaction by business entities and high flexibility. The adoption of appropriate business decisions should, above all, ensure the elimination of all major market risks, as well as the appropriate adjustment to the modern market environment. Such business decisions should be based on reliable and quality accounting information arising from the accounting information system. Properly set up accounting and information system is a good starting point for providing relevant information, which is necessary for making adequate business decisions and eliminating the dangers and risks that come with intensive market changes, as well as eliminating misconceptions. These dangers are especially manifested during the crisis caused by Covid-19, which consequently led to the collapse of the financial systems of many countries, which of course left long-term negative consequences for businesses that are the main users of the products of the financial system
Seismic-risk Mitigation for Brittle Museum Exhibits: Zagreb Experiences and Perspectives
No full textA strong ML5.5 earthquake, that struck Zagreb in March 2020 caused significant damage to many buildings in the city centre and several museums had to be temporarily closed or relocated. However, what is sometimes being overlooked, are the many valuable museum collections that were severely damaged or irreparably destroyed due to the excessive seismic vibrations. Mainly due to a lack of financial resources and inadequate spatial conditions and capacities, even the most valuable and unique artifacts in Croatian museums are often insufficiently seismically protected. The paper addresses seismic risk mitigation for sculptures and other brittle artworks that are particularly sensitive to strong seismic accelerations. In contrast to the traditional rigid securing of protected objects, a novel technique, namely base isolation, benefits from their partially unrestrained sliding movement, which accommodates the ground vibrations. Although it has proven effective for many valuable sculptures around the world, it is however, extremely costly and mostly out of reach of the limited financial resources of the Croatian cultural sector. The experiences of the Zagreb museums and the implemented protection mechanisms before and after the March 2020 earthquake are being examined, with the aim of discussing feasible solutions that suit local means and circumstances
SMART SOLUTIONS TO ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES? INFRASTRUCTURAL TRANSITIONS AND HEALTH IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH
No full textBackground: Smart city approaches hold the promise of technology-based opportunities to build sustainable - and therefore healthy - urban futures. However, current market-led approaches are not designed with sustainable development in mind. They can have damaging impact on society and the environment.
Aim: To show that the advantages offered by smart technology can and should be used in development, but that this should build on an advanced understanding of interlinked socio-eco-technical systems and the transdisciplinary collaboration of actors across domains and borders.
Methods: Case studies of infrastructural transitions and their health and sustainability outcomes in China, India and Brazil (see www.susinfra.com).
Results: Complexity science can support development of innovative theoretical, methodological and applied approaches.
Conclusion(s): Smart city approaches may lead to better socio-eco-technical outcomes, particularly in times of global environmental crisis.
Presenter e-mail: [email protected]