Can the Global Problem of Marine Litter Be Considered a Crisis?

Abstract

Marine plastic litter and microplastics pollution is a global governance problem with unknown and potentially dire consequences. Efforts to promote individual‐centered solutions to the problem are increasingly necessary but are insufficient to tackle the root causes of the problem. Therefore, a concerted policy response at the global level is imperative. The success of such efforts necessarily depends on the way in which the problem is framed and understood, including its degree of urgency. This paper engages with this problem by considering the nature of the issue in light of the crisis term and argues that the global problem of marine litter may be more productively considered a “creeping crisis” given the complexity, scope, and spatio‐temporally fragmented nature of the problem.

Editorial: ‘Multiple Faces of Resilience’

“…作者Carmen Maeland 和Reidar Staupe‐Delgado( 2020)的评论文《海洋垃圾这一全球问题能被视为一种危机吗?》将海洋中的微塑料污染作为一个伴随着未知和潜在严重后果的全球治理问题进行探讨。作者主张, 以个人为中心的问题解决措施变得越来越必要, 但却不足以应对问题。相反, 应对海洋污染问题的根源需要全球共同进行政策响应。作者主张, 海洋垃圾这一全球问题的复杂性、范围和时空分散本质让其成为一种 “慢性危机”。他们提出一种更为高效的方法, 以便从国内和国际的角度理解和定义议程设置问题和治理目的。…”

“…Maeland and Staupe‐Delgado's (2020) review essay “Can the Global Problem of Marine Litter Be Considered a Crisis?” discusses micro‐plastics pollution in the world's oceans as a global governance problem with unknown and potentially dire consequences. The author argues that individual‐centered solutions to the problem are increasingly necessary but insufficient.…”

Multiple Anthropogenic Stressors Reshape Evolutionary Processes in Galapagos: Marine Pollution and Climate Change

“…In addition, plastics can act as vectors of chemical contaminants (e.g., POPs) with the potential to desorb chemicals once ingested with subsequent health implications on organisms 17 . Like climate change, plastic pollution is difficult to solve and can become a 'wicked problem' due to the large number of people and opinions involved, the large economic burden and the interconnected nature of these problems with other challenges 18 . Substantial efforts to clean Galapagos shorelines, investigate biodiversity impacts and devise strict regulations to ban single-use plastics are underway, while an international research effort has been mobilised to use creative and multi-disciplinary approaches to co-design effective solutions 15 .…”

Abundance and Composition of Marine Litter on the Seafloor of the Gulf of Sant Jordi (Western Mediterranean Sea)

“…The United Nations Environment Programme/Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (UNEP/IOC) defines marine litter as any manufactured material or object that, directly or indirectly and voluntarily or involuntarily, has been dumped or abandoned in marine aquatic environments and either remains afloat, stays on the seafloor or on a beach [3]. Marine litter is a global environmental problem [4][5][6][7][8]. The presence of marine litter in seas and oceans damages marine ecosystems [9][10][11][12].…”