Marine Debris Program Participates in UN Ocean Conference Side Event on Plastic Pollution
JULY 11, 2022 — On June 28, NOAA Marine Debris Program Director, Nancy Wallace, participated in an official side event as part of the UN Ocean Conference. The virtual panel discussed the issue of plastic pollution with a specific emphasis on answering what key science and innovation is needed to tackle this global environmental challenge.
Hosted by the University of Plymouth in the United Kingdom, Nancy joined expert panelists representing policy, industry, and academia from Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Austria, Switzerland, China, and Slovenia.
The panel had a robust conversation and discussed the following questions:
- Do we need more evidence on the problem at sea or more on the trade-offs between solutions on land?
- What are the differences in applicability of solutions between nations?
- What is the relative importance of interventions at the design stage vs waste management to achieve circularity?
- What types of legal framework are needed to achieve success?
- What are the necessary national/international standards and enforcement?
These conversations will help inform upcoming negotiations for a new international instrument on plastic pollution.
For more information, please contact Nancy.Wallace@noaa.gov.