BY URMI GOSWAMI , ET BUREAU | MAY 27, 2017, 12.47 AM IST
Oceans cover three-fourths of our planet, have a direct bearing on the weather, help trap heat and slow down global warming. They are the direct and indirect source of livelihood for millions with economies of cities and entire regions dependent on them. Oceans are also the source of protein for more than 3 billion people with annual per capita fish consumption, currently at 20 kg, on the rise. Yet, they are treated as some kind of giant trash can.
As India and China have grown richer, they have emerged as among the biggest contributors of marine plastic litter, with more than 70% of the waste going untreated and disposed improperly. When UN member countries come together in New York for the Oceans Conference in June, addressing marine litter will be a priority.
How Plastic Waste is Produced and Mismanaged
How Plastic Enters Food Web
— Some 3 billion people get a fifth of their protein intake from the sea and are at risk of consuming plastic
— One form of marine plastic litter is microbeads, small plastic particles less than 5 mm in diameter
— Used in cosmetics, personal care products, detergents and fabrics
— Machine washing a single synthetic garment releases 1,900 microplastic fibres
— Microbeads are ingested by fish and other marine life
— At least 51 trillion microplastic particles already in oceans
— Microplastics can absorb and concentrate organic pollutants, which are known to cause cancer and birth defects, disrupt body’s tissues and organs
GLOBAL PRODUCTION OF PLASTIC: 322 million tonnes in 2015 vs. 1.5 million tonnes in 1950
PLASTIC PRODUCTION GROWTH RATE: about 5%
PLASTIC TO BE ADDED BY 2050: 33 billion tonnes
PLASTIC DUMPED INTO OCEANS: 8 million tonnes every year
Amount of plastic present in oceans: 150 million tonnes
70% of marine litter made up of plastic polymers
Recycling of plastic: less than 6% vs. 58% for paper, 70-90% for iron & steel
INDIA PLASTIC CONSUMPTION: 15 million tonnes a year, 20 million tonnes by 2020
If no effort is made to stem the tide of plastic in the oceans, by 2050, there may be more plastic than fish in the oceans, by weight
By 2025, ratio of plastic to fish in the oceans expected to be 1:3
HOW PLASTIC ENTERS WATER
Inadequate waste management by the public and private sector, illegal disposal practices, littering, accidental inputs including geological and meteorological events, lack of awareness among consumers (for example, use of microplastics in personal care products and loss of fibre from clothes when washed)
Impact of Plastic Pollution on Oceans is at least $8 bn Per Year
Significant negative impact on maritime natural capital but economic and social costs difficult to fully assess UNEP’s Valuing Plastic report estimates annual damage to marine ecosystems at least $13 billion
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation estimates cost to region’s tourism, fishing and shipping industries at $1.3 billion In Europe, despite relatively low leakage, annual cost cleaning up coasts and beaches estimated at $699 million
Indirect costs include impact on ecosystem services, economic activities relying on those services for revenue generation, sustainable livelihoods and the well-being of communities
What Countries are Doing to Combat Litter
INDIA New plastic waste management rules notified in March 2016—tougher norms for plastic bags, phase out of manufacture of non-recyclable, multi-layered plastic, commercial establishments, industries made responsible for segregating plastic waste at source, organisers of functions in public place responsible for generated plastic waste, focus on plastic waste in rural areas as well, encourages use of plastic waste in road construction and waste to energy.
INDONESIA to slash its marine litter by 70% by 2025
URUGUAY to introduce tax on single-use plastic bags
RWANDA, BANGLADESH, KENYA have banned plastic bags
CANADA added microbeads to list of toxic substances
FRANCE to ban single-use plastic cups, plates, cutlery by 2020
US to ban production of personal care products, cosmetics containing microbeads from July 2017, sale of cosmetics containing microbeads from July 2018 and over-thecounter drugs containing microbeads by July 2019 UK to ban microbeads in cosmetics from end 2017
Source: Marine Litter Vital Graphics, 2016, Cartographer: GRID-Arendal and Maphoto/Riccardo Pravettoni
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