MARINE PLASTIC POLLUTION

Subject : Environment

Context : The global Marine plastic Pollution footprint is estimated to be 8-10 million tonnes annually—equivalent to dumping one truck of garbage into the ocean every minute.

Concept :

• Plastic is a synthetic organic polymer made from petroleum with properties ideally suited for a wide variety of applications, including packaging, building and construction, household and sports equipment, vehicles, electronics and agriculture. Plastic is cheap, lightweight, strong and malleable.
• Over 300 million tons of plastic are produced every year, half of which is used to design single-use items such as shopping bags, cups and straws.
• According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), at least 8 million tons of plastic end up in the oceans every year.

Sources of Marine Plastic:

• The main sources of marine plastic are land-based, from urban and storm runoff, sewer overflows, beach visitors, inadequate waste disposal and management, industrial activities, construction and illegal dumping.
• Ocean-based plastic originates mainly from the fishing industry, nautical activities and aquaculture.
• Under the influence of solar UV radiation, wind, currents and other natural factors, plastic fragments into small particles, termed microplastics (particles smaller than 5 mm) or nanoplastics (particles smaller than 100 nm).
• In addition, microbeads, a type of microplastic, are very tiny pieces of manufactured polyethylene plastic that are added as exfoliants in health and beauty products, such as cleansers and toothpastes. These tiny particles easily pass through water filtration systems and end up in the ocean and lakes.

Impact of Plastic Pollution: Plastic can take hundreds to thousands of years to decompose depending on the type of plastic and where it has been dumped.

• On Marine Environment: The most visible and disturbing impacts of marine plastics are the ingestion, suffocation and entanglement of hundreds of marine species.
• Floating plastics also contribute to the spread of invasive marine organisms and bacteria, which disrupt ecosystems.
• On Food and Health: Toxic contaminants accumulate on the surface of plastic materials as a result of prolonged exposure to seawater. When marine organisms ingest plastic debris, these contaminants enter their digestive systems, and overtime accumulate in the food web.
• The transfer of contaminants between marine species and humans through consumption of seafood has been identified as a health hazard, but has not yet been adequately researched.
• Impacts on Climate Change: Plastic, which is a petroleum product, also contributes to global warming. If plastic waste is incinerated, it releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, thereby increasing carbon emissions.
• Impacts on Tourism: Plastic waste damages the aesthetic value of tourist destinations, leading to decreased tourism-related incomes and major economic costs related to the cleaning and maintenance of the sites.

Suggestions

• Existing international instruments should be further explored to address plastic pollution. The most important are:
• The 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping Wastes and Other Matter (or the London Convention).
• The 1996 Protocol to the London Convention (the London Protocol).
• The 1978 Protocol to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).
• Recycling and reuse of plastic materials are the most effective actions available to reduce the environmental impacts of open landfills and open-air burning that are often practiced to manage domestic waste.
• Governments, research institutions and industries also need to work collaboratively redesigning products, and rethink their usage and disposal, in order to reduce microplastics waste from pellets, synthetic textiles and tyres.