As co-hosts of the Global Partnership on Marine Litter-Caribbean Node, the Cartagena Convention Secretariat and the Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute will launch a social media campaign from July 1-31, 2019 to raise awareness on plastic pollution and encourage the use of alternative products and practices.

Plastic pollution is one of the most relevant and important issues of our time. Plastic has gradually become a part of our everyday life, but this is no longer tenable. The traditional linear production, use and disposal model for conventional plastics is ecologically unsustainable and has caused adverse and unacceptable environmental harm.

Oil pollution has been shown to have detrimental effects, both physically and chemically, on a wide range of marine life. Coastal and Marine Environments can take several decades to recover from oil pollution.

Solid waste is any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material that is discarded or left abandoned. Such material that is not disposed of properly has the potential to negatively impact the Caribbean Sea.

What can I do? What can we do? How can we reduce marine litter?

“Our world is swamped by harmful plastic waste. Microplastics in the seas now outnumber stars in our galaxy. From remote islands to the Artic, nowhere is untouched. If present trends continue, by 2050, our oceans will have more plastic than fish. The message is simple: reject single use plastic. Refuse what you can't reuse. Together, we can chart a path to a cleaner, greener world.” - António Guterres United Nations Secretary General (World Environment Day 2018)

Pollution, including marine litter, plastics, sewage, oil and chemicals, impacts the value of the goods and services provided by the oceans, including quality of fisheries and the pristine marine environment highly valued by the tourism sector. The region is extremely vulnerable to the impacts of marine pollution due to the dependence of its people on natural resources in combination with its vast exposed coastlines. Understanding and addressing marine pollution in the region is an economic and social priority in addition to the environmental threat.

Fourth Meeting of the Scientific, Technical and Advisory Committee (STAC) to the Protocol concerning Pollution from Land based Sources and Activities in the Wider Caribbean

Fourth Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities in the Wider Caribbean Region (LBS) - June 4, 2019

The information note can be accessed here.

The session, set to begin Wednesday 13th of March 2019, will explore work on marine litter and microplastics across the world through the 18 Regional Seas Programmes. An overview of current work will be presented along with an assessment of different region’s action plans on marine litter. Audience will have the chance to interact with representatives from different Regional Seas Programmes.