Plastics make up over 80 per cent of land-based marine litter in the Mediterranean region, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep), which launched a regional plan to address the problem.
Through the plan, the Mediterranean region is pioneering the adoption of legally binding measures on marine litter, with the aim to achieve ‘good environment status’.
Unep highlighted the problem of marine litter in the Mediterranean saying its impacts are not only environmental. There are economic, cultural and health and safety issues too.
Plastics are the worst problem while most of the rest of the litter found in the Mediterranean Sea consists of textiles, paper, metal and wood although this makes up only 17 per cent of marine litter deposited from land.
The main environmental impact of plastic on marine species is entanglement, ingestion and the transport of invasive species.
At the heart of the problem is one of plastic’s most valued properties: durability. Combined with the throwaway culture linked to plastic products, this means materials designed to last are being used for short-term purposes, according to the European Commission. Unep agrees.
“The problem of marine litter is rooted in current prevailing production and consumption patterns,” the intergovernmental organisation said. Such waste results mainly from recreational and tourism activities as well as household rubbish. Marine litter from smoking is much higher in the Mediterranean than the global average, it said.
The figures emerged as the measures and timetables of the Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean, which was adopted by the contracting parties to the Barcelona Convention, became binding on July 8.
The regional plan addresses the complex challenges posed in the Mediterranean by marine litter, a global issue dramatically affecting marine and coastal environment.
“With this regional plan now entering into force, Mediterranean countries will be able to elaborate national policies and action plans on pollution control and prevention that will contribute to addressing one of the most difficult environmental issues in the Mediterranean Sea”, said Gaetano Leone, coordinator of the Unep Mediterranean Action Plan.
While addressing land-based sources of pollution, Unep acknowledged that not enough was known on marine litter generated from sea-based sources in the region.
The problem of marine litter is rooted in current prevailing production and consumption patterns
The regional plan creates the momentum for contracting parties of the Barcelona Convention, including Malta, to look at marine and coastal pollution in an integrated manner.
The timetable for the implementation of the regional plan measures is between 2016 and 2025, with most of the measures to be implemented by 2020.
The coordination of Malta’s efforts to fulfil its obligations under the convention falls within the responsibility of the Environment Ministry. Implementation is tasked with different regulators, such as Mepa and Transport Malta that fall under other ministries.
Environment Minister Leo Brincat said: “Malta’s implementation of this plan will form part of the work for the application of the marine strategy framework directive that aims to achieve good environmental status of the marine environment.”