Marine Litter Vital Graphics

Every year, the sum of humanity’s knowledge increases exponentially. And as we learn more, we also learn there is much we still don’t know. Plastic litter in our oceans is one area where we need to learn more, and we need to learn it quickly. That’s one of the main messages in Marine Litter Vital Graphics . Another important message is that we already know enough to take action. Foreword

It sounds like a contradiction, but it’s not. As this report explains, 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 people or of the environment. Produced by UNEP and GRID-Arendal, this report shows that we have to take a hard look at how we produce and use plastics. The first plastics hit the market around 1950. At that time there were 2.5 billion people on Earth and the global production of plastic was 1.5 million tonnes. Today there are more than 7 billion people and plastic production exceeds 300 million tonnes annually. If the trend continues, another 33 billion tonnes of plastic will have accumulated around the planet by 2050. It’s all about consumption. As the global standard of living has grown, the amount of plastic produced, used and simply thrown away has skyrocketed – and a vast quantity makes its way to the ocean. The presence of marine litter in birds, turtles andmammals is well documented. A recent comprehensive review revealed marine litter in 100% of marine turtles, 59% of whales, 36% of seals and 40% of seabirds. But large marine creatures swallowing or getting caught in rubbish are only part of the problem. Organisms at every level, living on the seabed and in the water column, can be affected. Apart from the physical risk from plastic there is also concern they are threatened by the ingestion of hazardous chemicals in the plastic or absorbed on its surface. The ability of plastic particles in the ocean to

attract organic chemicals that don’t dissolve, including many toxic substances, has led to a growing number of studies looking at plastics as a source of toxic chemicals in marine organisms. What happens to the health of people who eat food from the sea is another important question. In fact, the report points to the need for more research in every area. 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. The good news is that while a lot of research needs to be done 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. Recycling is one example, but that capturesonlya small portionofwasteplastic.Other actions include prohibitions and creating financial disincentives to the manufacture and use of plastic materials. Besides improved governance at all levels, long-term solutions should focus onbehavioural and systemchanges such as encouraging more sustainable production and consumption patterns. Upstream prevention is preferable to downstream removal. Or as one of the report chapters says, it’s better (and cheaper) to be tidy than to have to tidy up. Knowledge about the effects of plastic in the marine environment is growing rapidly. We hope that this report will provide much needed impetus to action.

Peter Harris Managing Director, GRID-Arendal

MetteWilkie Director, Division of Environmental Policy Implementation, UNEP

Marine Litter Vital Graphics

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