Definition of Marine Plastics / Effects on Marine Environment / Conventions to fight marine plastics / solutions

1. Seminar on Marine Plastics
OE18S 018 Guru Prasath
OE19M 006 Pavitra
OE19M 017 Hilton Basumatary
OE19S 031 Vipin C.V

2. Topics
 What is Marine Plastic
 Effect of Plastics on Marine Environment
 International Conventions to Fight Marine Plastics
 What can we do to solve the issue

3. Ref : Jarecki, L. (1979) Thermodynamics of deformation of an isolated polymer chain. Colloid Polym. Sci., 257, 711–719

6. Garbage Patches

7. How Plastics get into the Marine
Environment

8. Effect of plastic pollution on marine life
•The durability of plastic and its ability to float on water
endangers the marine species
•According to a Plymouth University study, plastic pollution
affects 700 different marine species.
• Other estimates have suggested a death toll of at least 100
million marine animals annually, due to plastic pollution.

9. • Researchers at the Algalita Marine Research Foundation
documented an increase in plastic debris in the Central Pacific
Gyre five-fold between 1997 and 2007, where the baseline in
1997 showed plastic pieces outnumbered plankton on the
ocean surface .
• In the ocean, plastic debris injures and kills fish, seabirds and
marine mammals.
• Marine plastic pollution has impacted at least 267 species
worldwide, including 86% of all sea turtle species, 44% of all
seabird species and 43% of all marine mammal species.
• The impacts include fatalities as a result of ingestion,
starvation, suffocation, infection, drowning, and entanglement.

10. Effect on marine species:
• Seabirds that feed on the ocean surface are especially prone to
ingesting plastic debris that floats.
• Because persistent organic pollutants in the marine
environment attach to the surface of plastic debris, floating
plastics in the oceans have been found to accumulate
pollutants and transport them through ocean currents.
• Floating and migrating plastic debris has also been found to
transport invasive marine species.
• Increasingly, research shows that marine life that ingests
plastics coated with pollutants can absorb these pollutants
their bodies.

11. Pollution of oceanic waters:
• The amount of garbage in the seas also pollutes the oceanic
waters, just like the plastic harm the marine life in several
ways.
• Dispensation of hazardous materials, including toxic
substance such as Bisphenol A, which has been found
commonly in many plastic commodities, pollutes the water
badly.
• Since Bisphenol A doesn’t get diluted in water, it results in
grave environmental problems.
• Similarly, the debris uses oxygen as it degrades, resulting in
the low level of oxygen in the waters.
• As oxygen levels go down, it badly affects the survival of
marine animals including whales, dolphins and penguins.

12. Effect on human health:
• Plastic contains a lot of substances which might otherwise be
hazardous.
• When fishing activities are carried out, there is every chance
that fishes infected with such harmful substances might find
their way into our household, thereby causing health
problems to the end consumers.
• Studies have found that toxins in plastics cause several of
health issues including cancers, immune system problems,
and birth defects.

13. International convention to Fight
Marine Plastic
For the present, there is no convention directly
dedicated to solving the problem of marine plastic
pollution, and no unified mechanisms to regulate and
control its spread.
UNCLOS – Article 145 : Protection of Marine Environment
IMO – MARPOL – Annex V – Garbage – Zero Disposal of Plastics at Sea
London Dumping Convention – Black list ( Prohibited ) Grey List ( Allowed with
special permit ) Others ( General Permit )
UN Sustainable Development Goals 2015 ( Draft resolution on Marine Litter)
Global Cooperation time consuming and difficult to
agree and move forward

14. Private Industry Commitment / Regional Cooperation /
Local Laws
Many Countries have passed law to ban single use plastics
Many more new local laws to discourage use of plastics
Private industry taking the lead to voluntarily change their
business process to become more sustainable
Greater incentive to Refuse, Reuse and Recycle
Countries coming together at a regional level to monitor and
prevent marine plastic pollution in territorial sea.
Shipping Industries – Governed by IMO Laws to follow
Marpol Annex 5

15. Regional Action Plans against Marine Pollution from Litter

16. What are the important Factors to be included
in a global plastic convention?
• the adoption of a principle of common but
differentiated responsibilities
• an adequate scope considering land- and sea-based
sources, as well as chemical additives and all stages of
the lifecycle of plastics
• issue-linkage to international plastics trade
• a financial mechanism to support implementation
measures
• built-in flexibility to adapt to changes
• effective monitoring, reporting and review procedures;
and
• enforcement through incentivizing compliance and
deterring non-compliance.

17. Ways to Deal with Marine Plastics

18. Circular Economy for Plastics

19. Knowing how Plastic can be Recycled

20. REFERENCES
• IUCN WEBSITE
• NOAA
• UN / IMO WEBSITE
• Research papers on Marine Litter
• News Articles
• Images from Green Peace
• Marine Pollution Bulletin – Science Direct
• Marine Litter: Solutions for a Major Environmental Problem –
Journal for Coastal Research
• National Policy on Marine Litter – EU
• Honolulu Framework
• Web articles