Recently, a study led by the University of hull and the Medical College of helyork found that mussels, oysters and scallops are the most polluted by micro plastics in seafood.

It is estimated that 11 million tons of plastic will flow into the ocean every year. It is estimated that this amount will double in the next 20 years, reaching 29 million tons per year, equivalent to 50 kg of plastic waste per meter of coastline in the world. By 2040, the cumulative amount of plastic in the ocean could reach 600 million tons, equivalent to the weight of more than 3 million blue whales. Some models predict that by 2050, the weight of plastics will exceed that of fish in the ocean. Marine ecosystems around the world have been ravaged by plastic waste.

Moreover, novel coronavirus pneumonia, personal protective equipment and disposable containers may be used to increase the pollution or pollution of the marine plastic pollution.

In order to reverse this trend, scientists believe that a thorough reform of the fragmented waste management system is imminent.

Solutions are emerging

In the past five years, the number of multi stakeholders and relevant national laws and regulations voluntarily proposing to solve plastic pollution has more than doubled.

In 2017, China issued the implementation plan for the reform of the solid waste import management system by banning the entry of foreign waste. Last year, China also proposed to reduce the consumption of disposable plastic products and promote alternative products by the end of 2022.

According to the data of the United Nations Environment Programme, as of 2018, 99 countries have issued regulations and measures to curb the use of plastic bags in countries or regions, including the "world's most stringent" plastic ban order implemented by the Kenyan government in August 2017, which strictly prohibits the manufacture and use of all retail plastic bags.

In October 2018, the Allen MacArthur Foundation and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) jointly launched the "global commitment for a new plastic economy" initiative, which promised to unite enterprises, governments and other organizations under a common vision and goal, and try to promote the realization of a more sustainable circular plastic economy from the source. So far, more than 500 organizations have signed the initiative.

In 2019, 187 governments, excluding the United States, have taken an important step towards solving the plastic waste crisis by agreeing to join the Basel Convention to restrict the trade of plastic waste, so as to restrict the cross-border transfer of hazardous waste and meet the global challenge of plastic pollution.

On December 18, 2020, the United States signed the save our seas act 2.0. Focusing on marine plastic waste, the bill is committed to formalizing many existing policies and measures to reduce plastic pollution, emphasizing the continuing study of the role of plastics in the ocean and strategies to prevent sustainable pollution.

The existing policies are still inadequate

Despite the ongoing efforts to control pollution, the wave of plastic pollution has not been leveled, and it has been rising again. Because of the urgency and scale of the challenge posed by plastic waste, and the need to expand current efforts, the world calls for a new and more ambitious approach.

According to a recent report by Boston Consulting Company and Scientific American magazine, experts believe that voluntary initiatives by one or several countries alone can not promote the systemic changes needed to control plastic pollution. Moreover, many existing policies are not targeted at the real sources of plastic pollution. For example, two thirds of countries that legislate for plastic goods only control disposable plastic bags, but disposable plastic bags only account for 7% of the items found in beach cleaning.

At the same time, the lack of baseline data on plastic waste at global, national and commercial levels limits the ability of all parties to monitor progress and assess the effectiveness of current measures. At present, only 39% of countries have publicly reported garbage data.

In addition, there is a lack of basic waste management capacity in key areas. It is estimated that only one-third of the top 20 countries in the world have managed plastics properly. The concentrated efforts of these countries are an important measure to curb the large-scale discharge of plastics into the ocean, but still far from the goal of environmental governance.

Global agreement imminent

Plastic pollution is one of the most important international environmental problems in today's world. To solve the plastic pollution crisis is beyond the capacity of any country, region or department, which inevitably needs the response of the international community. However, an in-depth review by the United Nations Environment programme confirmed that "there is no global agreement specifically for the prevention of marine plastic waste and micro plastics, nor does it provide an integrated approach to managing the life cycle of plastics". Fortunately, global efforts continue.

The marine plastics leadership network, which is composed of more than 70 members, is an organization dedicated to solving the plastic crisis in the Atlantic garbage belt. The alliance is committed to accelerating the progress of the Paris Agreement on plastic pollution control, according to Scientific American magazine.

In October last year, 29 international enterprises, including H & M, Mars, Nestle, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Starbucks and Unilever, issued a declaration called "business case of the United Nations plastic pollution treaty", calling for the establishment of the United Nations plastic pollution treaty. The declaration urged governments to negotiate and reach an agreement on a new global agreement on plastic pollution, saying that "time does not wait for us" to tackle plastic pollution. Negotiations on the treaty are expected to take place at the fifth session of the UN environment conference this year.

Support for a new global treaty to address the plastic pollution crisis is increasing, but so far, the United States and the United Kingdom, the world's largest producers of waste per capita, have not indicated their support for the treaty or called for a new agreement, the Guardian reported.

"In the past few years, we have seen a growing public demand for action on plastic pollution. Some governments and industries have begun to implement voluntary measures on this issue, but it needs better coordination. A global treaty will generate the impetus of globalization and the recognition of internationalization. " Christian Cross, WWF's head of international marketing, said, "while companies have a clear responsibility to address plastic pollution in their own supply chains, broader systemic change is crucial."

The British environmental survey agency said that a new legally binding global agreement on plastic pollution must be passed to fill the legislative gap and realize the desire of pollution control. This agreement has the right to fundamentally solve the problem of marine environmental pollution caused by plastics by limiting the production of plastics.

Source: Science and Technology Daily