Looking for a Chinese solution to global problems: The situation and countermeasures of marine plastic waste and microplastics pollution governance system in China

Abstract

As one of the top ten environmental problems to be solved in the world, marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution seriously affect the health of marine ecosystems and the sustainable development of Marine economies. It is necessary to promote the establishment of a scientific and systematic Marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution control system and take strong measures to fundamentally curb and reverse the trend of marine pollution intensification in China. This paper first explains the practical significance of marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution control from three aspects: the sustainable development of the blue economy, the structural upgrading of the pan-plastic industry, and the improvement of public health awareness. Secondly, the particularity of marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution control system is summarized from three aspects of formation mechanism, migration path and damage performance. Then, it identifies domestic and international governance strategies and action plans from the perspectives of mechanism, subject, object, and measures, summarizes existing problems in the existing marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution control system, and gives directions for future improvement. Finally, some countermeasures and suggestions are put forward to accelerate the construction of China’s marine plastic waste and microplastic pollution control system, including the formation of a cross sectoral integrated land and sea control system, a full life cycle waste management process, a multi-participation model for marine ecological and environmental governance, and a global marine pollution prevention and control system.