30 Years of Innovation and Excellence: GRID-Arendal Annual Report 2019

Sharing knowledge about marine litter in the Arctic

Environment Working Group (PAME) commissioned us to produce its “Desktop Study on Marine Litter Including Microplastics in the Arctic” and present its findings at a UNEP-sponsored side event at the fourth session of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-4) in March. We then built on those findings to draft a marine litter regional action plan for the Arctic. GRID-Arendal also presented information about marine plastic pollution in the Arctic at other events including the Arctic Frontiers conference and Arendalsuka, Norway’s national political festival. We also worked on a Marine Debris Action Planner that predicts where litter will accumulate on coastlines, enabling cleanup crews to more efficiently target problem spots. We helped to foster cooperation between Norway and Russia on addressing marine litter in the Barents Sea, in part by working with UNEP to do a complete Russian translation of its massive open online course (MOOC) on the topic. In addition, we have been leading the University of the Arctic’s Thematic Network on Arctic Plastic Pollution, through which we contribute to education and research initiatives, help experts collaborate and share knowledge, and ultimately support the Arctic Council working groups.

GRID-Arendal further established itself as an expert source of information on Arctic marine litter in 2019, and worked to spread this knowledge to the public. The Arctic Council’s Protection of the Arctic Marine

KEY NUMBERS

8million 150 million

estimated tons of plastic added yearly to the world’s oceans

estimated tons of plastic that have accumulated in the world’s oceans since the 1950s

72

percentage of marine litter debris or particles that are plastic

640,000

estimated tons of fishing gear lost at sea each year

Our maps on marine plastic pollution were featured in a cover story in CARTO magazine. PRESS IMPACT

Joan Fabres , head of GRID-Arendal’s marine litter programme, collecting waste from a coastline.

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