Abstract

The human attachment to plastic has intensified recently due to its lightweight, versatility, low-cost and durability and so has the damage to the marine environment as marine plastic pollution has correspondingly increased. As a result, there has been increasing concern on the issue of marine plastic pollution. Policy-based organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme have drawn public attention to the scope, magnitude and impacts of marine pollution in recent decades. Research on marine pollution can play a significant role in contributing to policy-making processes in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on Life Below Water (SDG 14), by providing scientific analysis on the effects and sources of marine plastic pollution. This paper provides a theoretical and empirical overview of marine plastic pollution and its potential effects on marine ecosystems. It also discusses SDGs that are relevant to marine plastic pollution and suggest priorities for further research.

Highlights

  • Plastic has become ubiquitous in human society, as of 2015, about 8.5 billion metric tons of plastic was estimated to have been produced globally since the first production of synthetic plastic in the early 20th century [1]

  • The current review seeks to address the following: What has been the outcomes of selected studies on the effect of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems? Are there studies pointing to significant reduction in the levels of plastic pollutants? The purpose of this paper is to present both theoretical and empirical overview of marine plastic pollution based on existing studies and suggest future recommendations in accordance with the lessons learnt from the current study

  • The purpose of the current study was to examine both theoretical and empirical overview of marine plastic pollution based on existing studies and suggest future recommendations

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Summary

Introduction

Plastic has become ubiquitous in human society, as of 2015, about 8.5 billion metric tons of plastic was estimated to have been produced globally since the first production of synthetic plastic in the early 20th century [1]. With an annual growth of 4% between 2010 and 2015, more plastic has been produced in the last two decades compared to the previous 50 years [2]. In 2010, close to 12.7 million tons of mismanaged land-based plastic waste was estimated to have entered the oceans [4]. The current review seeks to address the following: What has been the outcomes of selected studies on the effect of plastic pollution on marine ecosystems? Are there studies pointing to significant reduction in the levels of plastic pollutants? The purpose of this paper is to present both theoretical and empirical overview of marine plastic pollution based on existing studies and suggest future recommendations in accordance with the lessons learnt from the current study

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