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The Necessity Of A Global Plastic Strategy

Since the emergence of plastic products in the 20th century, there has been a huge demand for plastic in the 1990s due to the development of industrial manufacturing, leading to a significant increase in global plastic production. The production has rapidly increased from 1.7 million tons in 1950 to 359 million tons in 2018, with a cumulative output of 8.842 billion tons. The scope of use has also expanded from industry to agriculture, commerce, and daily social life. However, the extensive use of plastic has also brought serious problems of garbage pollution, especially marine pollution. Currently, plastic pollution in freshwater and marine areas is widely recognized as one of the most important global issues today. It is estimated that the vast majority of the 8.3 billion tons of plastic produced in the past 60 years have been used to produce disposable products. Among them, 6.3 billion tons of plastic become garbage, of which only about 9% is recycled, 12% is incinerated, and 79% accumulates in landfills or is discarded in the natural environment (Geyer et al. 2017) and ultimately deposited in the ocean (Pham et al., 2014; Ryan, 2015), affecting the environment, economy, health, and aesthetics (Engler, 2012; Rochman et al., 2013a, b); Sheavly & Register, 2007; Silva-Iniguez & Fischer, 2003 ). It is not an exaggeration to say that if the current trends in plastic production and waste management continue, approximately 12 billion tons of plastic waste will be discarded in landfills or natural environments by 2050 (Geyer et al., 2017). Global plastic pollution control is urgent!

 

From the perspective of governance willingness, in 2014, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) listed marine plastic pollution as one of the top ten urgent environmental issues that deserve attention. The United Nations Environment Assembly has successively adopted "Marine Plastic Debris and Microplastics" (UNEP/EA.1/6, 2014), "Marine Plastic Liter and Microplastics" (UNEP/EA.2/Res.11, 2016), "Marine Litter and Microplastics" (UNEP/EA. 3/RCS. 7, 2018), and "Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics"; End Plastic Pollution: Towards an International Legally Binding Instrument (UNEP/EA. 5.23/Rev. 1, 2022). The G20 has also successively reached initiatives such as the Marine Litter Action Plan and the Implementation Framework for Marine Plastic Waste Action, calling on countries to take preventive measures as soon as possible to scientifically address marine plastic waste pollution.

 

The Necessity Of A Global Plastic Strategy 1

 

From the current situation of governance in a single country, some countries have taken action to address the marine litter crisis. More than 60 countries around the world have taken measures in areas such as plastic bags, microbeads, products, straws and plastic tableware, plastic cotton swabs, and the number is constantly increasing. However, remedial measures to improve plastic pollution, such as cleaning, have been widely attempted with little success. Practice has proven that using post cleaning remediation to control plastic pollution is not only ineffective but also extremely cost-effective. A report by the United Nations Environment Programme (2018) analyzed over 140 regulations at the national and local levels that prohibit plastic bags and impose plastic bag taxes. Although the consumption of plastic bags or plastic bags in the marine environment decreased in 30% of cases, there was not enough information to draw accurate conclusions about their environmental impacts. In 50% of the survey cases, there is a lack of information on the impact, partly due to a lack of monitoring and reporting, and partly due to many of the measures analyzed being recently implemented (UNEP, 2018). Among countries that have banned the use of plastic bags, 20% reported almost no impact due to a lack of enforcement and affordable alternatives (UNEP, 2018). Therefore, at the current level of global governance, the pollution situation has not significantly improved. (UNEP,2009;Xanthos &Walker, 2017)

 

The above situation has highlighted the necessity and urgency of a global plastic strategy. Therefore, it is necessary to take strict preventive measures against the sources of marine plastic waste pollution (UNEP, 2009). Countries around the world still need to establish a comprehensive and binding global strategic system and policies. On a global scale, efforts have been made to develop and implement such strategies and policies: currently, there is an increasing number of regional or national strategies and policies for disposable plastic products, such as taxes or bans on disposable plastic bags (Heidberer et al., 2019; Saidan et al., 2017); Xanthos &Walker, 2017). However, there are few international strategies and policies that directly address plastic and marine pollution issues. The existing strategies and policies mainly include four: the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), the Honolulu Strategy, the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Clean Seas campaign.

 

The Necessity Of A Global Plastic Strategy 2

 

By 2024, in order to address this increasingly serious and borderless international issue, we urgently need a global governance solution. Countries should jointly set emission reduction targets, develop policy plans, and conduct comprehensive testing on the consumption of marine environment, plastic packaging, disposable products, and products that produce microplastics.

 

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