Abstract
The problem of marine plastic debris impacts all of the world’s oceans and requires all nations to respond. However, developing States require funds to improve waste management infrastructure and services in order to reduce marine debris at source. Plastics manufacturers and retailers globally must be incentivised to design products for the environment as well as for the collection and end-of-life treatment facilities available within the intended markets. Given the oceans are a global common, we investigate the option of developing a global fund mechanism to progress the necessary actions to reduce plastic waste entering the world’s oceans. This requires consideration of what form a conceptual global fund could take, how contributions will be made to the fund and what the fund would pay for. In the short-term, remediation may be prioritised, but long-term preventive measures must also be considered. Both require funding. A global fund could assist in closing the disparity in available national funds for such activities.
Highlights
The environmental and socio-economic effects of marine plastic pollution are experienced in all maritime jurisdictions
In addition to land-based sources of marine plastic debris, sea-based sources include vessel garbage, derelict fishing gear (FAO, 2016; Macfadyen et al, 2009) and microplastics (FAO, 2017), which contribute to the global stock of marine plastic debris
Administration of the fund would require consideration of multiple components beyond the lifecycle end-point of marine plastic pollution. This includes ensuring positive social outcomes from policy interventions, assessing trade agreements to enhance environmental outcomes are maximised through the import of plastic products and the export of plastic waste and, more importantly, that efforts are aligned with achieving all relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), SDG14
Summary
The environmental and socio-economic effects of marine plastic pollution are experienced in all maritime jurisdictions. It may be argued that the feasibility and effectiveness of a global funding mechanism to prevent marine plastic debris would require an associated international legally binding instrument to harmonise and guide action across coastal and land-locked States. Options provided for combatting these pollutants at the global level This included a new international architecture that combines binding and voluntary measures (UNEP/EA.3/INF/5). Without a new global agreement, there are limited options to regulate the full lifecycle of plastics within the current international legally binding framework (Raubenheimer and McIlgorm, 2018). This paper is the first to detail a high-level model for a conceptual global fund to address marine plastic debris, whether through existing mechanisms or a new global agreement. Analogous funding mechanisms are considered as alternate options for determining national financial contributions
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