Tackling plastic pollution should begin at the source, says new report

By GRID-Arendal

July 7^th, 2016

A new report says we need to act now if we want to avoid living in a sea of plastic by mid-century – even if we don’t know everything about what it’s doing to the health of the environment or people.

Marine Litter Vital Graphics was released today. Produced by GRID-Arendal and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the new report shows that there is a need to take a hard look at how we produce and use plastic.

Littered beach, Bali, Indonesia. Credits: GRID-Arendal / Lawrence Hislop.

“The Vital Graphics report follows a recent 10 million NOK commitment by the Government of Norway to tackle waste plastic in the oceans,” said Peter Harris, Managing Director of GRID-Arendal. “It also comes after a commitment to tackle the problem made by all the countries at the United Nations Environment Assembly in late May.”

Harris said that marine litter is an issue that strikes close to home in Norway.

“We’ve all walked along this countries beautiful coastline and seen piles of plastic debris pile up on the shore. Beach clean-ups help, but the problem lies in how much plastic we produce – and simply throw away.”

The Vital Graphics report illustrates the problem very clearly. In 1950 the human population was 2.5 billion and global production of plastic was 1.5 million tonnes. Today there are more than 7 billion people in the world and plastic production exceeds 300 million tonnes annually. The Vital Graphics report states that if the trend continues, another 33 billion tonnes of plastic will have accumulated around the planet by 2050.

The world’s growing population has expectations of a higher standard of living and for decades, plastic products have been integral to the rise of consumer demand. Much of this plastic is only used once before it’s thrown away. And a lot of it ends up in the ocean, according to the Vital Graphics report.

In Europe, about 40% of plastic production goes to single-use, disposable items such as food packaging. In the United States, Canada and China, research indicates one-third of plastic was thrown away after first use.

The presence of marine litter in birds, turtles and mammals is well documented. A recent comprehensive review revealed marine litter in 100% of marine turtle, 59% of whale, 36% of seal and 40% of seabird species examined.

But it is not only large marine creatures swallowing or getting caught in rubbish, organisms at every level, living on both the seabed and in the water column, can be affected. Apart from the physical risk from plastic there is also concern that marine organisms are threatened by the ingestion of hazardous chemicals that are in the plastic or adsorbed on its surface. The ability of plastic particles in the ocean to attract organic chemicals that don’t dissolve, which include many well-known toxic substances, has led to a growing number of studies looking at plastics as a source of toxic chemicals in marine organisms.

The Vital Graphics report points to the need for more research in every area. Indeed, it states that our knowledge about what happens to plastics in the marine environment should be seen as only the tip of the iceberg. Much more is unknown than known and there is a lot of research to be done at all levels. At the same time, we can’t afford to wait for all the research to be in before taking action. The report says there is a lot we can do to change our consumption and production patterns to prevent increasing amounts of plastic waste from getting into the marine environment.

“Upstream” governance actions can help reduce the amount of plastic that enters the environment. Recycling is one example, but that captures only a small portion of waste plastic. Other actions include prohibitions and creating financial disincentives to the manufacture and use of plastic materials.

The Vital Graphics publication follows a recent UNEP report that looked at how large plastic debris and “microplastics” are found everywhere from the Arctic to the Antarctic. It reinforces the message from the earlier report that preventative action can and is being taken.

The report shows the problem is being addressed in a number of ways. New rules governing a number of production processes are in place, such as plastic pellets in California, plastic bags in Bangladesh, South Africa, China and Rwanda, polystyrene foam in Haiti and Vanuatu and microbeads in Canada and the USA.

“Upstream prevention is preferable to downstream removal,” Harris said. “It addresses marine litter at the source by reducing waste.”

“GRID-Arendal has put the issue of marine plastics on the agenda at this year’s Arendalsuka,” Harris added. Called “Marine Litter: local action, global reaction; global action, local reaction,” the event will feature a number of high level political speakers. It takes place on Wednesday, 17 August, from 11:00 – 13:00.