Actions arising from the Impacts of Marine Litter Interactive Content
Actions arising from the Impacts of Marine Litter
This timeline shows activity that has taken place on developing policies to mitigate marine litter, since the discovery of marine litter in 1960. Some of these policies you might know and some you may be unfamiliar with. Some are very recent whereas some started in the ’70s and ’80s.
1960
First reports of adverse effects of marine plastic debris on marine species.
1971
RAMSAR Convention
The Convention on Wetlands is the intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975. Since then, almost 90% of UN member states, from all the world’s geographic regions, have acceded to become “Contracting Parties”.
1972
London (Dumping ) Convention
The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) is the main international convention covering prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes.1973
MARPOL Convention
The MARPOL Convention was adopted on 2 November 1973 at IMO.
1974
UNEP Regional Seas Programme launched
The UNEP Regional Seas Programme is UNEP’s most important regional mechanism for conservation of the marine and coastal environment since its establishment in 1974. It is an action-oriented programme that implements region-specific activities, bringing together stakeholders including governments, scientific communities and civil societies. These Multilateral Environmental Agreements are governed by their own meetings of the Contracting Parties.1978
MARPOL Protoco
1979
Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, also known as the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) or the Bonn Convention, is an international agreement that aims to conserve migratory species throughout their ranges. The agreement was signed under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme and is concerned with conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale.
1982
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty, is an international agreement that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. As of June 2016, 167 countries and the European Union are parties. Source Wikipedia1984
First Honolulu Conference on Marine Debris
The Workshop on the Fate and Impact of Marine Debris took place in late November 1984 and was attended by 125 people from eight countries (91 % from the USA, 4 % from Asia, 3 % from Europe and 1 % each from Canada and New Zealand). Given the geographic bias of delegates, most of the 31 papers dealt with the North Pacific, but there were more general papers on the distribution and dynamics of floating litter as well as reviews of entanglement (Wallace 1985), and ingestion by seabirds (Day et al. 1985). Read the paper1989
Second International Conference on Marine Debris (Honolulu) | Basel Convention
The Second International Conference on Marine Debris was again held in Honolulu in April 1989, attracting over 170 delegates from 10 countries (USA 83 %, Japan 6 %, Canada and New Zealand 3 % each, UK 2 %; all other countries <1 %). from: A brief history of marine litter research1989
Basel Convention
In 1989, foreign diplomats (called Plenipotentiaries) met in Basel, Switzerland, to discuss the global transport and disposal of hazardous waste, including e-waste. The outcome of their meeting was the Basel Convention, short for its full name: The Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal. he primary goal of the Basel Convention was, and remains, to reduce trans-boundary movements of hazardous wastes between nations and to prevent the international transport and dumping of waste from developed to developing countries. Read the full aricle
1992
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), known informally as the Biodiversity Convention, is a multilateral treaty. The Convention has three main goals: the conservation of biological diversity (or biodiversity); the sustainable use of its components; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. Its objective is to develop national strategies for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and it is often seen as the key document regarding sustainable development. Source: Wikipedia1994
Third International Conference on Marine Debris (Miami
1995
Basel Ban Amendment | Global Programme of Action (GPA)
The Global Programme of Action aims at preventing the degradation of the marine environment from land-based activities by facilitating the realization of the duty of States to preserve and protect the marine environment. It is designed to assist States in taking actions individually or jointly within their respective policies, priorities and resources, which will lead to the prevention, reduction, control and/or elimination of the degradation of the marine environment, as well as to its recovery from the impacts of land-based activities. Read full article
1996
London Protocol
In 1996, the "London Protocol" was agreed to further modernize the Convention and, eventually, replace it. Under the Protocol, all dumping is prohibited, except for possibly acceptable wastes on the so-called "reverse list". Read the full article2000
Fourth International Conference on Marine Debris (Honolulu)
2001
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POP's)
Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants is an international environmental treaty, signed on 22 May 2001 in Stockholm and effective from 17 May 2004, that aims to eliminate or restrict the production and use of persistent organic pollutants (POPs). Wikipedia2005
First UN General Assembly Resolution referring to the issue of marine debris'
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; French: Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Source: Wikipedia2022 and Beyond
In 2022 we have between 19 – 23 million metric tonnes of plastic litter ending up in the aquatic environment per year. However, if we keep going at this rate, even if we follow all the activities highlighted on this timeline, we will still end up with between 155 – 265 million metric tonnes entering the aquatic environment in 2050.
To help reduce the rate of plastics being introduced to the environment, advocates for the Marine Environment are now working towards a global agreement that will help tackle the plastic problem across the globe.