Category FAQs Search : Waste Trade Pollution
Question: 20 Years of Government Responses to the Global Plastic Pollution Problem : The Plastics Policy Inventory
Answer: Plastic pollution in the ocean is a global problem that requires cooperation from a wide range of
groups (e.g., governments, producers, consumers, researchers, civil society). However, by virtue
of their core regulatory powers, governments have a critical role to play in helping to solve this
problem. This study aims to synthesize the policy response of governments to the global plastic
pollution problem, as a basis for more rigorous monitoring of progress (as called for in Resolution
4/6 of the 2019 United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) meeting) and to inform future
public policies.
The scope of the study is limited to public policies introduced during the period from January
2000 to July 2019, prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As governments mobilize to respond to
the pandemic, certainly these policies may change, so that this study may provide a baseline for “beforeafter” comparisons. Additionally, the scope of this study is limited to those polices explicitly aiming
to reduce plastic leakage. At the same time, generally applicable waste management policies are
considered to be fundamental to addressing the problem, even if they are not explicitly intending
to do so (i.e., they were not designed at least partially in response to the problem of leakage of
plastic into the ocean). For the purpose of this study, the current and future trends in these
generally applicable policies are considered as part of the baseline or business-as-usual scenario,
unless they have been amended or adjusted explicitly to respond to the plastic pollution problem.
This study aims to identify and characterize the additional response from governments, which
in combination with general waste management policies, equals the total possible government
response to the marine plastic pollution problem.
(Source: Pustaka Negeri Sarawak, 13 Jul 2021)