Thirty countries from Kenya to Indonesia and from Canada to Brazil are helping #beatpollution by countering the torrents of plastic trash that are degrading our oceans and endangering the life they sustain.
The countries – all members of UN Environment’s #CleanSeas campaign – account for about 40 per cent of the world’s coastlines. They are drawing up laws, establishing marine reserves, banning plastic bags and gathering up the waste choking their beaches and reefs.
The populous nations of East and South-East Asia account for most of the plastic trash entering the global ocean. To address this menace at source, Indonesia has pledged to reduce its generation of plastic trash by 70 per cent by 2030, while the Philippines plans new laws targeting single-use plastics.
Humanity’s unhealthy addiction to throwaway plastics bags is a particular target. Countries including Kenya, France, Jordan, Madagascar and the Maldives have committed to banning plastic bags or restricting consumers to re-usable versions for which they have to pay.
Legislation to press companies and citizens to change their wasteful habits is often part of broader government strategies to foster responsible production and consumption – a key step in the global shift toward sustainable development.
Belgium and Brazil, for instance, are both working on national action plans to curb marine pollution. Costa Rica has embarked on a five-year strategy to improve waste management that includes a push to reduce the use of plastics.
© Forest and Kim Starr
The flow of pollution means detritus such as drinks bottles and flip-flops as well as tiny plastic fragments including microbeads used in cosmetics are concentrating in the oceans and washing up on the most remote shorelines, from deserted Pacific islets to the Arctic Circle.
Israel is among the countries supporting programmes to keep beaches clean, along with Canada and Belgium. The latter is also helping remove abandoned fishing gear from shipwrecks in European waters.
Humans have already dumped billions of tons of plastic, and we are adding it to the ocean at a rate of 8 million tons a year. As well as endangering fish, birds and other creatures who mistake it for food or become entangled in it, plastic waste has also entered the human food chain with health consequences that are not yet fully understood. It also harms tourist destinations and provides breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying diseases including dengue and Zika.
The #CleanSeas campaign aims to “turn the tide on plastic” by inspiring action from governments, businesses and individuals on ocean pollution.
Pollution is the theme of the 2017 United Nations Environment Assembly, which is meeting in Nairobi, Kenya from 4 to 6 December. All governments as well as individuals, businesses and other organizations are invited to sign the pledge and help #BeatPollution around the world.
