Plastic Pollution In The Marine Environment

This book describes how man-made litter, primarily plastic, has spread into the remotest parts of the oceans and covers all aspects of this pollution problem from the impacts on wildlife and human health to socio-economic and political issues. Marine litter is a prime threat to marine wildlife, habitats and food webs worldwide. The book illustrates how advanced technologies from deep-sea research, microbiology and mathematic modelling as well as classic beach litter counts by volunteers contributed to the broad awareness of marine litter as a problem of global significance. The authors summarise more than five decades of marine litter research, which receives growing attention after the recent discovery of great oceanic garbage patches and the ubiquity of microscopic plastic particles in marine organisms and habitats. In 16 chapters, authors from all over the world have created a universal view on the diverse field of marine litter pollution, the biological impacts, dedicated research activities, and the various national and international legislative efforts to combat this environmental problem. They recommend future research directions necessary for a comprehensive understanding of this environmental issue and the development of efficient management strategies. This book addresses scientists, and it provides a solid knowledge base for policy makers, NGOs, and the broader public.

An estimated 8 million metric tons (MMT) of plastic waste enters the world's ocean each year - the equivalent of dumping a garbage truck of plastic waste into the ocean every minute. Plastic waste is now found in almost every marine habitat, from the ocean surface to deep sea sediments to the ocean's vast mid-water region, as well as the Great Lakes. This report responds to a request in the bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act for a scientific synthesis of the role of the United States both in contributing to and responding to global ocean plastic waste. The United States is a major producer of plastics and in 2016, generated more plastic waste by weight and per capita than any other nation. Although the U.S. solid waste management system is advanced, it is not sufficient to deter leakage into the environment. Reckoning with the U.S. Role in Global Ocean Plastic Waste calls for a national strategy by the end of 2022 to reduce the nation's contribution to global ocean plastic waste at every step - from production to its entry into the environment - including by substantially reducing U.S. solid waste generation. This report also recommends a nationally-coordinated and expanded monitoring system to track plastic pollution in order to understand the scales and sources of U.S. plastic waste, set reduction and management priorities, and measure progress.

Plastics have transformed every aspect of our lives. Yet the very properties that make them attractive--they are cheap to make, light, and durable--spell disaster when trash makes its way into the environment. Plastic Soup: An Atlas of Ocean Pollution is a beautifully-illustrated survey of the plastics clogging our seas, their impacts on wildlife and people around the world, and inspirational initiatives designed to tackle the problem. With striking photography and graphics, Plastic Soup brings plastic pollution to brilliant life for readers. According to some estimates, if we continue on our current path, the oceans will contain more plastic than fish by the year 2050. Created to inform and inspire readers, Plastic Soup is a critical tool in the fight to reverse this trend.

This volume consists of 15 chapters and focuses on hazardous chemicals, how they are associated with plastics, and their environmental risks. It includes background information on plastics and additives chemistry, and their observed or potential effects on living organisms as well as the oceanographic aspects of marine debris dispersion. The respective chapters provide insights into the sorption/desorption of chemicals in and out of plastics, the mechanisms and kinetics, but also the scale of the concentrations of chemicals found in marine debris, particularly in microplastics. The occurrence of the various chemicals is analyzed, as well as the distribution profiles of the chemicals in microplastics throughout the world’s oceans. The implications of the fact that plastics carry within them several chemicals are discussed in detail. In closing, new research topics that warrant further attention are identified. The book will appeal to all scientists who are already working or interested in starting to work on the topic of marine debris, as well as policymakers, NGOs and the broader informed public.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2021-519/ States are on the brink to start negotiations on a global agreement on plastic pollution. In this context, scientists, policymakers and stakeholders voiced requests for strengthening and improving the knowledge base. These requests often include demands for a scientific advisory mechanism or body that operates as two-way interface between science and policy and that informs policy- and decision-making in the global combat against plastic waste in the oceans and the need for a life cycle approach to marine plastic pollution that covers all stages in the plastics life cycle. The report makes the case for a global scientific mechanism on marine litter and microplastics and discusses the conditions to make it work effectively and to enable it to strengthen the global science and knowledge base on marine litter and microplastics.

This guidance manual presents the potential benefits and costs associated with Extended Producer Responsibility.

Marine litter is an ecological, economic, health and aesthetic problem. it is a complex and multi-dimensional challenge with significant implications For The marine and coastal environment, and human activities all over the world. The persistence of marine litter is the result of a lack of coordinated global and regional strategies, and deficiencies in the implementation and enforcement of existing programmes, regulations and standards at all levels - international, regional and national. The UNEP Global Initiative on Marine Litter provides a platform For The management of marine litter through the establishment of partnerships, cooperative arrangements and coordination of joint activities. it has succeeded in organizing and implementing regional activities on marine litter around the world. In addition to activities in 12 Regional Seas, UNEP commissioned preparation of several documents on specific topics, including UNEP/IOC Guidelines for monitoring of marine litter; Abandoned and lost fishing gear; and Marine litter and market-based instruments. This report provides an overview of the status of marine litter in UNEP's assisted Regional Seas, and highlights the amounts, main sources, impacts, and economics of marine litter, and discusses legislation, policies, compliance and enforcement mechanisms; institutional frameworks and stakeholder involvement; education and outreach strategies; monitoring programmes and research; mitigation activities among other aspects. it concludes that there is an urgent need to approach the issue of marine litter through better enforcement of laws and regulations, expanded outreach and educational campaigns And The employment of strong economic instruments and incentives. it proposes some general recommendations, based on the materials presented in the document, and specific recommendations for fourteen different issues regarding marine litter.

This book, written by a multidisciplinary team of authors comprising scientists, artists and communicators, explores one of the most pressing issues of our time – the menace plastics pose to marine environments and organisms. It takes readers on a journey that begins on the beaches of Galicia, where the beach litter formed the starting point for an exhibition that combines art and science to alert the audience to the urgent need for action. The journey culminates with a short “plastic story”, which reveals a disturbing vision of the future significance of plastics for humans, and an example of how comics can deliver information to a younger audience. Along the way there is plenty of fascinating science, such as insights into the impacts of plastics and microplastics; the new marine ecosystem, known as the “plastisphere”; and the current status of the oceans, from the Arctic to the Mediterranean. The book also explores the historical developments; sustainable solutions, including the use of circular economy methodologies; and protective measures, like those being tried in China and the Far East. Lastly, it describes the role played by rivers as transport vectors for plastic, with special reference to the Danube, and to complete the picture, since most of the plastic is of terrestrial origin, it investigates problems related to microplastics in soils.