Marine litter is a global issue with vast quantities of plastic and other debris washing up on the shores of SIDS around the world. Take a look at this fascinating article published on Theconversation.com this month tracking the origins and flow patterns of plastic debris around the Seychelles.

The ISLANDS Programme is also getting underway in the Indian Ocean and will be working with the Seychelles, Comoros, Maldives and Mauritius to reduce the plastic burden in these countries, as well as manage a range of other toxic pollutants that are released when everyday objects, such as end-of-life vehicles, e-waste and used oil are dumped or improperly disposed of.

Why the one Pacific voice matters in global effort to end plastic pollution, as we look towards INC2 in Paris

The second session of the International Negotiating Committee (INC2) working to develop an internationally binding instrument to fight plastic pollution will be held in Paris in May.

In this opinion piece, Mr Anthony Talouli, Director of Waste Management and Pollution Control, SPREP reiterates the importance of Pacific islands voices to be heard.

In fact, SIDS in the Pacific contribute as little as 1.3 percent towards the world’s plastic pollution, yet Pacific people are disproportionately affected by its impacts, especially when it comes to the ocean.

"In this part of the world, we have an intricate and intimate relationship with the Ocean because it defines us as a Pacific people; it underpins our livelihoods. Simply put, it is the way of Pacific Island life. This is why we must care for the Ocean and protect it to ensure it provides for us and our future generations"

Thank you SPREP - Talouli!

I know plastic pollution is an almost overwhelming problem and there are serious consequences of pollution emerging everywhere. But that doesn’t mean that we as individuals cannot experience an element of fun and achievement when we actually set out to do something about it ourselves. This article, published on Pasfika.news about Coastal Clean Up Day, reminds us of this with 2000 people getting involved and cleaning up their coastal areas.
UNEP’s ISLANDS Programme is now working with SPREP in the Pacific and other partner organisations round the world to reduce plastic pollution and tackle a whole range of other toxic pollutants in Small Island Developing States.

Known as “Mermaid tears” or industrial plastic granules (IPG), tiny toxic plastic pellets (nurdle) is another source of marine plastic litter. In contrast to single use plastic, these little plastic beads are extremely small in size and make ocean clean-up activities challenging.
Though being one of the sources of marine pollution, the devastating impact of nurdles on marine life and humans is often overlooked. Once in ocean, nurdles may also enter the food chain through the fish and seafood we eat, and even end up in human blood (first detected in 2022).
Plastic Soup Foundation reports that around 230 000 tons of it ends up in the ocean, whereas given its size, it becomes almost impossible to fully remove, once in environment. If cleaning up activities are practically less effective, prevention should be the key.
What efforts of international society do you find the most appropriate to address this problem?

Despite its small population, about 11,000 inhabitants, the Territory of Wallis and Futuna is strongly impacted by marine litter, as all the Pacific islands.

Marine litter, including micro-plastics, has an impact on aquatic life and fish caught along the island's shores, and therefore on the economic resources of the Territory.

Thus, the FAIVA TAUTAI association of professional fishermen of Wallis, with the support of the Direction des services de l’agriculture, de la forêt et de la pêche de Wallis et Futuna, participated in the International Coastal Clean-up Day 2022 by organising a clean-up campaign of the islet Faioa located South of the Territory.

This islet is uninhabited but nevertheless, the volunteers collected, besides plastic bottles and bags, gas bottles, neon lamps, shoes, toothbrushes, house insulation materials, etc.

Here is the link to the video produced following the clean-up campaign.

If heaven on earth exists, it is on the small islands. Small islands are still one of the most popular destinations for travelling. People visit them to experience clean beaches, crystal clear water, exotic nature, and hospitality.

Around two thirds of the SIDS` population is employed in service industry. Like many other SIDS in the Caribbean, economy of Antigua and Barbuda is shifting from an agriculturally based model to a service based one, mainly dominated by the tourism sector, which contributes around 61.3% to their GDP (World Bank, 2022). Unfortunately, like other SIDS, Antigua and Barbuda is facing the problem of marine plastic, which affects all the spheres of life and economy. One of the impacts on tourism from marine litter comes from the polluted beaches and coastal areas, which may negatively reflect in tourists’ willingness to visit the country.

Comprehensive overview on economic impact of plastic pollution on tourism (IUCN, 2022) provides that the potential percentage of tourists who would no longer be willing to visit the country if all plastics accumulated on beaches is estimated to be between 82.4% and 97%. Providing two different scenarios of plastic accumulation from 2023 to 2040 the estimated direct impact (including revenue loss in fishery) in present value is between USD 79,445,037 and USD 191,567,014.
Follow the link to explore similar studies for Grenada and Saint Lucia.

I wish to all members of this group a wonderful plastic free year 2023.

Let's stay on track: REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

Plastic pollution is now undeniable and its effects are visible everywhere. But it has not always been like this.

In 1971, marine biologist Edward Carpenter made a shocking discovery, finding small bits of plastics floating thousands of miles off the east coast of America, in the Atlantic Ocean.

More than 50 years later he tells the story of how he had to fight hard to get the scientific world to take notice of his discovery.

Watch the video to find out more!

Half of all plastic produced is used once and then thrown away, ending up in landfills or unregulated dumps or burnt. It can degrade into microplastics which cause further serious ecological problems.

Plastics are everywhere and the more we know about their effects the more inclined we will be to something about it. Great article here by Marianne Lehnis, published on Forbes.com, exploring the scale of the problem but also some of the initiatives to deal with it.

UNEP’s ISLANDS Programme is working on plastics too in 33 SIDS around the world boosting national and international recycling efforts and raising awareness on how to reduce the plastic burden in SIDS.

I came across this article in my news feed on the way to the office this morning and decided to share.

Two green sea turtles rescued from the fishing nets in the ocean in Argentine, were released back to the water near San Clemente after plastic detox. Plastic contents were found in the turtles` excrements and it took a while to have them treated with vitamins, iron, and a mix of antibiotics! I took a minute to find out what green turtles normally eat and was appalled with the statistics.

Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are known as world`s largest hard-shelled turtles, live in the coastal areas of over 140 countries. Being herbivorous, seagrasses constitute the main part of their essential diet, and this is what gives their fat (not the shell itself) green color and therefore they are being called green turtles. However, the reality is that over 52% of world`s species of all sea turtles end up eating plastic or other human induced litter (Dr. Qamar Schuyler, 2015), while around 62% of green turtles eat plastic mistaking it with algae. WWF reports that ingesting even one item of plastic can be lethal in 22% of cases. In case of survival, continuous consumption of plastic may result in slower reproduction rates.

https://www.uq.edu.au/news/article/2015/09/world%E2%80%99s-turtles-face…
https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/what-do-sea-turtles-eat-unfortuna…