Marine plastic pollution has been acknowledged in recent years as a major global environmental issue and challenge. Since the beginning of 2019, movements to combat marine plastic pollution have accelerated around the world.
Japan hosted the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Osaka at the end of June 2019, which advanced the agreement of the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth on June 15-16 in Karuizawa, Japan, to establish the epochal G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter to facilitate, through voluntary national actions, the implementation of the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter, which was launched at the 2017 G20 Hamburg Summit.
Leaders at the G20 Osaka summit announced the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision to reduce additional marine plastic pollution to zero by 2050, and on the sidelines Japanese Prime Minister Mr Shinzo Abe also announced the MARINE Initiative support for developing countries.
The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) also adopted two resolutions on single-use plastics and on marine plastic litter and microplastics during its March 11-15 meeting in Nairobi. The resolution on single-use plastics encourages member states to develop and implement national or regional action programmes to address the environmental impacts of single-use plastics. It also encourages environmental education and innovation on alternatives to single-use plastics.
The resolution on marine plastic litter and microplastics announced the extension of the Open-Ended Expert Group on Marine Litter and Microplastics, and the establishment of a multi-stakeholder platform within the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to take immediate action toward ‘the long-term elimination of the discharge of litter and microplastics into oceans’.
While the movement to reduce marine plastic litter has spread globally, further scientific knowledge needs to be developed. For example, surveys should be conducted to identify the types of plastics flowing into seas and rivers in each region in order to implement effective upstream-downstream measures in the plastics industry supply chain.
In designing holistic measures for plastic litter, it is necessary to consider not only the reduction of single-use plastics and management of land-based plastic waste, but also the management of sea-based plastics. Cost-sharing mechanisms should also be developed for the collection and treatment of waste collected in estuaries and oceans.
Therefore, the marine litter issue cannot be solved without the involvement and cooperation of the ministries in charge of fisheries, coastal and river management, and land-based waste management; the recycling industry; industries using and producing plastics; and others. Institutional arrangements to enhance inter-ministerial coordination are needed to address these issues.
The need to combat marine litter is discussed not only on the global scale. Asian developing countries have started to tackle the issue both regionally and domestically. The 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Bangkok in June launched the ASEAN Framework of Action on Marine Debris, which recognises the urgent need for action to combat marine litter.
Scientific research has identified rapidly growing Asian countries with large populations as major sources of marine plastic litter. One of the actions the framework states is to 'mainstream multi-sectoral policy measures to address marine debris in national and ASEAN’s development agenda and priorities'.
Several ASEAN states have already launched policy arrangements for marine plastic issues that emphasise the importance of national coordination mechanisms involving related ministries. For example, Indonesia’s Presidential Decree No 83/2018 on Marine Debris Management, issued in September 2018, includes a 2018-2025 action plan that covers activities such as raising stakeholder awareness; managing waste generated on land; managing coastal and ocean waste; strengthening monitoring and law enforcement; and research and development. Some 16 Indonesian ministries are responsible for coordinating related stakeholders in 58 actions to combat marine debris (see table).
Number of activities by ministry under 2018-2025 Indonesian Action Plan
Strategies | Ministry of Industry | Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries | Ministry of Environment and Forestry | Ministry of Transportation | Ministry of Public Works and Housing | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Enhancement of stakeholder awareness | 4 | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | |
Land-based waste sources | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |
Costal and ocean waste | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | ||
Funding, monitoring, enforcement, etc. | 1 | – | – | 1 | 5 | |
Research and development | 2 | 1 | – | – | 3 | |
Total | 17 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 16 |
M Kojima and F Iwasaki, based on the action plan in Presidential Decree No 83/2018 on Marine Debris Management.
The decree also established a committee for marine litter issues, which is chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Marine Affairs, and consists of 16 ministers, the cabinet secretary and the head of the Marine Security Agency. This National Coordination Team coordinates 16 related ministries, which monitor and evaluate policies and activities.
Other ASEAN states should also establish action plans or roadmaps in consultation with multiple stakeholders to cover activities to manage marine debris. The Thai government approved in April a draft plastic waste management roadmap for 2018-2030, developed by the plastic waste management subcommittee under the National Environment Board, which is chaired by the Prime Minister. Malaysia created the Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastics 2018-2030 in September 2018, which targets only single-use plastics, but sets coordination mechanisms (joint ministerial committee, joint steering committee) to implement each roadmap policy.
Learning good practices from neighbouring countries, including coordination mechanisms, will facilitate the development of comprehensive and effective action plans or roadmaps in each ASEAN Member State.
Mr Michikazu Kojima is senior economist at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA); Mr Fusanori Iwasaki is executive assistant to the president and senior research associate at ERIA. The views expressed are their own.
Note: This op-ed is a revised version of an op-ed published in The Jakarta Post on 1 August 2019 (Tackling marine plastic pollution together) and in the Myanmar Times on 2 August 2019 (Tackling ASEAN’s Marine Plastic Waste).
Communication Desk
Marine plastic pollution has been acknowledged in recent years as a major global environmental issue and challenge. Since the beginning of 2019, movements to combat marine plastic pollution have accelerated around the world.
Japan hosted the Group of 20 (G20) summit in Osaka at the end of June 2019, which advanced the agreement of the G20 Ministerial Meeting on Energy Transitions and Global Environment for Sustainable Growth on June 15-16 in Karuizawa, Japan, to establish the epochal G20 Implementation Framework for Actions on Marine Plastic Litter to facilitate, through voluntary national actions, the implementation of the G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter, which was launched at the 2017 G20 Hamburg Summit.
Leaders at the G20 Osaka summit announced the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision to reduce additional marine plastic pollution to zero by 2050, and on the sidelines Japanese Prime Minister Mr Shinzo Abe also announced the MARINE Initiative support for developing countries.
The United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) also adopted two resolutions on single-use plastics and on marine plastic litter and microplastics during its March 11-15 meeting in Nairobi. The resolution on single-use plastics encourages member states to develop and implement national or regional action programmes to address the environmental impacts of single-use plastics. It also encourages environmental education and innovation on alternatives to single-use plastics.
The resolution on marine plastic litter and microplastics announced the extension of the Open-Ended Expert Group on Marine Litter and Microplastics, and the establishment of a multi-stakeholder platform within the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to take immediate action toward ‘the long-term elimination of the discharge of litter and microplastics into oceans’.
While the movement to reduce marine plastic litter has spread globally, further scientific knowledge needs to be developed. For example, surveys should be conducted to identify the types of plastics flowing into seas and rivers in each region in order to implement effective upstream-downstream measures in the plastics industry supply chain.
In designing holistic measures for plastic litter, it is necessary to consider not only the reduction of single-use plastics and management of land-based plastic waste, but also the management of sea-based plastics. Cost-sharing mechanisms should also be developed for the collection and treatment of waste collected in estuaries and oceans.
Therefore, the marine litter issue cannot be solved without the involvement and cooperation of the ministries in charge of fisheries, coastal and river management, and land-based waste management; the recycling industry; industries using and producing plastics; and others. Institutional arrangements to enhance inter-ministerial coordination are needed to address these issues.
The need to combat marine litter is discussed not only on the global scale. Asian developing countries have started to tackle the issue both regionally and domestically. The 34th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Bangkok in June launched the ASEAN Framework of Action on Marine Debris, which recognises the urgent need for action to combat marine litter.
Scientific research has identified rapidly growing Asian countries with large populations as major sources of marine plastic litter. One of the actions the framework states is to 'mainstream multi-sectoral policy measures to address marine debris in national and ASEAN’s development agenda and priorities'.
Several ASEAN states have already launched policy arrangements for marine plastic issues that emphasise the importance of national coordination mechanisms involving related ministries. For example, Indonesia’s Presidential Decree No 83/2018 on Marine Debris Management, issued in September 2018, includes a 2018-2025 action plan that covers activities such as raising stakeholder awareness; managing waste generated on land; managing coastal and ocean waste; strengthening monitoring and law enforcement; and research and development. Some 16 Indonesian ministries are responsible for coordinating related stakeholders in 58 actions to combat marine debris (see table).
Number of activities by ministry under 2018-2025 Indonesian Action Plan
Strategies | Ministry of Industry | Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries | Ministry of Environment and Forestry | Ministry of Transportation | Ministry of Public Works and Housing | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Enhancement of stakeholder awareness | 4 | 1 | 4 | – | 3 | |
Land-based waste sources | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |
Costal and ocean waste | 6 | 5 | 1 | 4 | ||
Funding, monitoring, enforcement, etc. | 1 | – | – | 1 | 5 | |
Research and development | 2 | 1 | – | – | 3 | |
Total | 17 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 16 |
M Kojima and F Iwasaki, based on the action plan in Presidential Decree No 83/2018 on Marine Debris Management.
The decree also established a committee for marine litter issues, which is chaired by the Coordinating Minister of Marine Affairs, and consists of 16 ministers, the cabinet secretary and the head of the Marine Security Agency. This National Coordination Team coordinates 16 related ministries, which monitor and evaluate policies and activities.
Other ASEAN states should also establish action plans or roadmaps in consultation with multiple stakeholders to cover activities to manage marine debris. The Thai government approved in April a draft plastic waste management roadmap for 2018-2030, developed by the plastic waste management subcommittee under the National Environment Board, which is chaired by the Prime Minister. Malaysia created the Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastics 2018-2030 in September 2018, which targets only single-use plastics, but sets coordination mechanisms (joint ministerial committee, joint steering committee) to implement each roadmap policy.
Learning good practices from neighbouring countries, including coordination mechanisms, will facilitate the development of comprehensive and effective action plans or roadmaps in each ASEAN Member State.
Mr Michikazu Kojima is senior economist at the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA); Mr Fusanori Iwasaki is executive assistant to the president and senior research associate at ERIA. The views expressed are their own.
Note: This op-ed is a revised version of an op-ed published in The Jakarta Post on 1 August 2019 (Tackling marine plastic pollution together) and in the Myanmar Times on 2 August 2019 (Tackling ASEAN’s Marine Plastic Waste).
Communication Desk
