Page 292 - Economia Azul - versão: inglês

materials, substances, objects or goods, of the problem of litter at sea in the coun- 6. The gaps that still exist: microplastics as part of the problem
arising from human activities in society, try, bringing a governance model, imple-
and whose final destination is proceed- mentation axes, guidelines and indicators Despite the wide variety of internation- Despite all these international legal
ed, proposes to proceed or is obliged to in order to combat litter at sea. The PNCLM al legal norms aimed at addressing marine mechanisms, whether hard or soft law,
proceed, in solid or semi-solid states, as provides, among other initiatives, the de- pollution, it is worth noting that there gaps remain. There is no agreement that
well as gases contained in reservoirs and velopment of regionalized plans, applied to are still important gaps. More specifical- effectively prevents and minimizes marine
liquids whose particularities make their re- the problems of each location in the coun- ly, when it comes to marine plastic pollu- plastic pollution, particularly from land-
lease into the sewage network or bodies try (TURRA et al., 2021). The lack of suffi- tion, a slow and progressive path is being based sources. Resources and technical
of water impracticable (BRASIL, 2010). cient information on the problem of litter traced towards a specialized global gov- cooperation are lacking, especially in ef-
Specifically, regarding plastic, several bills at sea in Brazil and the need to expand the ernance aimed at mitigating the effects forts to improve waste collection systems.
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are being processed in the Brazilian National diagnosis for the effective implementation of this type of pollution. Microplastics and There is a lack of coordination between
Congress – at least 135, proposed between of executive and structuring actions, howev- marine plastic litter are a preventable prob- the various frameworks, instruments and
1995 and 2019: however, there is no spe- er, reinforce the urgency of the partnership lem, as much of the plastic waste that ends platforms dealing with plastic pollution
cific guideline or legislation to address the with the Academia, aiming to guarantee the up in the ocean is the result of poor man- (significantly improved cross-sectoral co-
issue. Even with the absence of a specific construction of adequate knowledge, as well agement. These wastes, however, are not ordination is needed, with collaborative
national guideline for plastics, many Brazil- as the commitment of various sectors of soci- adequately dealt with at the international efforts by multiple stakeholders and much
ian states and municipalities develop their ety, in order to enable a true implementation level, both in mandatory and voluntary in- closer intergovernmental cooperation).
own norms and rules to address the prob- of the Plan (BRASIL, 2019). struments (UNEP, Op. Cit.). There is also still no institutionalized effort
lem, mostly with a focus on banning certain In the context of multisectoral engage- UNCLOS does not specifically address to assess the state of plastic pollution, in
products (PERTUSSATTI, 2020). ment, when it comes to the environment the pollution of the marine environment addition to the lack of standards aimed
Brazil is one of the countries that pro- and, specifically, litter in the ocean, civil by plastic waste, so effective measures at monitoring the release of plastic waste
duces the most plastic waste on the plan- society organizations present themselves are not provided to achieve the necessary into the environment, including the ocean.
et, which would account for approximately as important figures for raising public protection and preservation of the ocean. As a consequence, there are considerable
1 kg of plastic waste per inhabitant weekly awareness about the problem, elucidat- The Basel and Stockholm Conventions, uncertainties about the quantities, sources
(WWF, 2019). This data reflects the pressing ing its origins, impacts and stimulating which can be applied to the reduction of and transmission routes of marine plastic
need for the country to directly deal with the the development of mitigation strategies. terrestrial sources of marine plastic litter pollution (SIMON, 2018).
management of plastic waste domestically. Recognizing that the multiple and cascad- and microplastics, have limited application. International legal instruments have
In this sense, in 2019, the National Plan ing risks posed by marine litter and plas- Under the Stockholm Convention, for ex- considered plastic waste to be one of the
to Combat Marine Litter (PNCLM) was tics make them multipliers of threats is the ample, the application of packaging con- most urgent environmental problems and
launched, which is composed of a diagnosis first step (UNEP, Op. Cit.). stitutes the main sector of the plastics mar- are moving to act against it; however, this
ket. Globally, it is estimated that 32% of movement is still quite limited, and there
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packages escape from collection systems, is no global governance arrangement that
reaching the marine environment. Chemi- addresses the entire life cycle of plastics
cals migrate from these packages to food, The issues related to plastics in the envi-
but these substances may not fall under the ronment are multiple and comprehensive,
Convention’s regulations. Thus, at a global and international law has not evolved with
level, the production, use and disposal of the same agility with which the problem
large volumes of chemical substances used transcends national borders. A new legal-
in the manufacture of plastics are not reg- ly binding international agreement proves
ulated by this instrument (UNEP, Op. Cit.). essential to fill gaps and effectively address

290 BLUE ECONOMY Marine pollution as everyone’s responsibility 291