A review of the multifaceted impact and implications of oil spills and marine disasters in Asia

Marine environmental disasters, mostly oil spills and other chemical pollution, cause a negative impact on ecosystems, human health, and the economy throughout Asia. Environmental disasters, in many cases, are driven by industrial negligence, weak regulations, and other anthropogenic activity. Previous research on Asian marine environmental disasters tends to concentrate on discrete, nation-level incidents without a regional overview. Few consider the cross-border environmental, public health, and economic consequences or evaluate governance and policy action across borders. This review bridges these gaps by comparing various marine disasters, their impacts, response issues, governance reforms, and instituted policy mechanisms to enable more interconnected and effective disaster management across the region. Negative impact on public health includes a range of acute respiratory and neurological diseases, as well as chronic psychological trauma, while the common environmental impacts are mostly on biodiversity loss and habitat destruction. Regarding the economic impact, communities are adversely affected by the loss of livelihoods, notably fisheries and tourism, and chronic socio-economic insecurity. Even though there are existing regional agreements, such as the ASEAN Oil Spill Response Action Plan, and global coordination through the IMO, enforcement challenges continue, alongside challenges in allocating resources and cross-border coordination. It is important to have a holistic, multi-disciplinary, and regionally integrated disaster management approach incorporating technological innovation, policy reform, and people’s participation. Future studies must investigate real-time monitoring, policy performance, and the incorporation of indigenous knowledge systems to enhance resilience and governance in Asian marine environmental disaster management.