Many studies found that 170 trillion plastic particles are afloat in the world’s oceans. A plastic continent also known as the “7th Continent” is floating in the Pacific Ocean, and is three times the size of France. Marine litter can be found everywhere you go, in the deep sea or in the coastal environment. An urgent solution is required, that’s why a Results Pack by the European Union (EU) proclaimed to bring back plastic-free oceans, according to a plan.
A path to cleaner seas
Marine litter is defined by the European Environment Agency (EEA) as “any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of, or abandoned in the environment”. And the WISE Marine declared “it is now widely recognised that the amount of litter in the environment is significant and increasing. For this reason, marine litter is the focus of growing political attention around the world”.
To protect nature and reverse the degradation of marine ecosystems, the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030 is a long-term plan. The main goal is to restore ocean health by protecting 30 % of the EU’s seas by 2030 – with 10% under strict protection –, the strategy is to involve protecting and managing marine protected areas (MPAs) effectively.
Taking up the challenge of cleaner seas will significantly reinforce health, social, and economic advantages for coastal communities and the EU overall. The need for action is urgent, as the loss of biodiversity in marine and coastal ecosystems is being significantly worsened by the effects of climate change.
The plastic-free ocean strategy
While the amount of marine litter is expanding, it is necessary to have genuine grassroot initiatives.
In response of the EU biodiversity strategy by 2030, the EU Commission adopted on 21 February 2023 a new action plan on protecting and restoring marine ecosystems for sustainable and resilient fisheries. One highlight is “in order to protect and restore marine ecosystems and achieve their good environmental status, as well as encourage and inspire the world to follow suit”. The EU’s strategy is clear: more efforts are needed to achieve a sustainable and renewable Europe in terms of marine resources for future generations.
But it is questionable whether strategic goals are sufficient to bring back healthy oceans in Europe in a short term.
Challenges for EU research
Some research is in progress for sustainable biodegradable alternatives to plastics for packaging, enhanced waste and wastewater management, and improved recycling methods. This leads also to conducting into ecosystem health, biodiversity, and coral adaptation, as well as studies on nature-based solutions, algae and oyster reef farms, and sustainable fisheries technologies.
For instance, the CORDIS Results Pack presents 12 projects funded by the EU that are helping to reduce the impact of marine litter through prevention, elimination, mitigation and monitoring, from source to sea:
The LimnoPlast and PlasticPiratesEU projects collected data together with youth and citizens on plastic pollution in rivers and coasts across Europe to prevent it entering the ocean.
In-No-Plastic developed cleanup tools to remove plastics from the marine environment and industrial waters, and SeaClear developed autonomous robots for underwater litter collection.
Finally, there is still a great deal of work to be done before we can achieve the European long-term plan, but innovation and research are major assets. Meanwhile, we all need to make sure that we don’t pollute our oceans, or at least do the best we can at our own level.
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