[ EVENTS ] A conference challenges marine litter
Our oceans are in jeopardy from plastic pollution cleanatlantic.eu
Marine litter has become one of the world’s most serious environmental dangers, threatening everything from fish to whales. And marine litter threatens human life as well.
Disposable plastic bottles take about 450 years to fully decompose. The problem of plastic waste will occupy our great grandchildren and their grandchildren.
D
ebris in the oceans—as well as in lakes and rivers— can be ingested by aquatic organisms—many of which may be commercially important species. The debris breaks down into micro- and nanoplastics, spoils recreational and cultural experiences, and strangles and kills aquatic life. For example, according to UNESCO, plastic in the ocean kills more than a million seabirds every year, as well as more than 100,000 marine mammals, including seals, sea lions, and manatees. Sea turtles
are also affected. Animals often mistake plastic for food and end up starving to death with stomachs full of plastic. To combat this problem, the world must focus on the prevention, monitoring, and reduction of marine litter, as well as gathering and sharing knowledge. But most important, perhaps, is that the increasing awareness and changing attitudes of all stakeholders must eventually lead to a serious reconsideration of the
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production of plastic and who is responsible for its entire life cycle.
The Lighthouse Lofoten conference
guiding light to those who want to prevent sea-based marine litter and to create a solution-focused community working towards a plastic-free ocean.
The international conference Lighthouse Lofoten was held in Svolvær, Lofoten, 5–6 April, to increase awareness and knowledge of the problem, across the world as well as in the Nordic countries. Hosted by the Norwegian Centre against Marine Litter, the conference aimed to be a
Marine litter is any manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of, or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment, and most of it is plastic—as much as 80, according to various estimates. It turns up on beaches, on the seabed, in sediments, in the water column,
