The notion that things can be thrown away is a myth. There is no ‘away’ for damaging pollutants to go where they will not harm ecosystems, plant and animal health and, ultimately, human health. While there is growing awareness of the perils of plastic pollution in the ocean, we often underestimate the true scale of pollution because visible waste only makes up 3% of all the plastic in the ocean, and beyond plastics there are a multitude of other pollutants that are entering the ocean. What we see is only the tip of the iceberg.

The increase in public awareness of the problem of plastics in the ocean presents an opportunity to capitalise on this attention and implement bold solutions that will tackle the root cause of not only plastics, but other ocean pollutants.

Using key findings from the latest Blue Paper commissioned by the Ocean Panel: Leveraging Multi-Target Strategies to Address Plastic Pollution in the Context of an Already Stressed Ocean, the paper’s authors and other experts will discuss actions to enable governments, businesses, communities and NGOs to work together to create innovative policies; support research and innovation; invest in wastewater and solid waste infrastructure; and shift mindsets and behavioural practices.

This event is part of the series of webinars featuring new scientific ‘Blue Papers’, commissioned by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel).

Speakers

  • Amb. Tamaki Tsukada, Ambassador and Director-General for Global Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and High Level Panel Sherpa, Japan (Opening Remarks)
  • Dr. Jenna Jambeck, Professor, University of Georgia, USA (Lead Author and Panelist)
  • Ms. Ellie Moss, Independent Consultant and Researcher, USA (Lead Author and Panelist)
  • Dr. Brajesh Kr Dubey, Professor, Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur, India (Lead Author and Panelist)
  • Mr. Simon Reddy, Director, International Environment, The Pew Charitable Trusts (Panelist)
  • Prof. Dr. Martin Stuchtey, Founder and Managing Partner, SYSTEMIQ (Moderator)

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About the  Ocean Panel and  Blue Papers 

The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) was established in September 2018 to catalyse bold, pragmatic solutions for realising a sustainable ocean economy, where protecting and restoring the ocean to health is essential for producing more from it, so that people can prosper equitably. A unique global initiative of 14 serving heads of state and government, representing 30 percent of the world’s coastlines, the Ocean Panel is working with government, business, financial institutions, the science community and civil society to develop a transformative action agenda that recognises the need for a new relationship between humanity and the ocean and the rapid transition to a sustainable ocean economy. 

The Ocean Panel is strongly dedicated to knowledge and science in everything it does. In the spirit of achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), building momentum towards the UN Decade of Ocean Science, and meeting the objectives of the Paris Agreement, the Ocean Panel commissioned a series of 16 Blue Papers and two special reports – The Ocean as a Solution for Climate Change Report: 5 Opportunities for Action and Towards a Sustainable Ocean Economy Report – that will inform the Ocean Panel’s action agenda.