Marine litter – an environmental and economic problem [PDF version]
Marine litter is a pressing global environmental challenge, with associated economic costs. A new study by IEEP for UNEP aims to improve understanding of the socio-economic dimensions of marine litter, and estimate the economic costs of action and inaction in areas such as producer responsibility, consumer behavior, fishing and aquaculture, tourism, and merchant shipping.
------
Marine litter is a pressing – and growing – global environmental challenge. This litter arises from sectors and activities including retail (e.g. plastic bags and bottles), aquaculture and fisheries (lost and discarded gear), shipping (accidental or deliberate waste releases), cosmetics and personal care products (plastic microbeads). Inadequate waste management practices and direct littering by individuals in coastal areas exacerbate the problem.
Marine litter items wash up on beaches and accumulate in the marine environment. This causes both environmental impacts and economic costs. The environmental impacts include, for example, degradation of coastal and marine ecosystems, ingestion by or entanglement of marine species and spread of invasive alien species and pathogens that ‘surf’ on litter fragments. Economic costs are caused by revenue losses to fisheries, reduced tourist numbers, damage to ships and fishing gear, and need for beach clean-ups. All of this has negative effects on local communities and economic sectors.
IEEP is carrying out a study for the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) to improve understanding of the socio-economic dimensions of marine litter. The study will review and summarise existing data on the estimated costs of not addressing the marine litter problem, and of actions to prevent, reduce and clean up marine litter. It is anticipated that in many cases, the costs of
The study looks at several themes: environmental damage and ecosystem degradation; producer responsibility and waste infrastructures; consumer behaviour and willingness to act; fishing and aquaculture; tourism, aesthetic value and recreational opportunities; and merchant shipping. The study will look at the role of these areas in both creating and addressing marine litter. A series of case studies will also be developed, each looking at a specific marine litter issue in a specific part of the globe (including Korea, Australia, Chile and the Mediterranean), and identifying problems, solutions and best practices.
The study aims to identify promising solutions and approaches to addressing marine litter, and to contribute to the development of methods to calculate the costs of both inaction and action. It will be completed in early 2016, and feed in to a broader UNEP study on marine plastic debris which will be presented to the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in Kenya in May 2016.
For further information and if you know of any interesting data, case examples or best practices that could feature in our study, please contact Emma Watkins or Patrick ten Brink.