scholarly journals Assessment of Microplastic Impacts in the Marine Environment: A Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tony Walker
Keyword(s):  
Marine Environment ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Environmental Groups ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Educational Campaigns

Threats emerging from microplastics pollution in the marine environment have received much global attention. This review assessed sources, fate, and impacts of microplastics in marine ecosystems and identified gaps. Most studies document ubiquity of microplastics and associated environmental effects. Effects include impacts to marine ecosystems, risks to biodiversity, and threats to human health. Microplastic leakage into marine ecosystems arises from plastic waste mismanagement and a lack of effective mitigative strategies. This review identified a scarcity of microplastics mitigation strategies across different stakeholders. Lack of community involvement in microplastic monitoring or ecosystem conservation exists due to limited existence of stakeholder co-management initiatives. Although some management strategies exist for controlling the effects of microplastics (often implemented by local and global environmental groups); a standardized management strategy to mitigate microplastics in coastal areas is urgently required. There is a need to identify focal causes of microplastic pollution in the marine environment through further environmental research. This would extend to creating more effective policies as well as harmonized and extended efforts of educational campaigns and incentives for counteraction and plastic waste reduction, while mandating stringent penalties for polluting the marine environment. This will help reduce microplastic leakage into the environment.

scholarly journals Governance Strategies for Mitigating Microplastic Pollution in the Marine Environment: A Review

Microplastics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-46
Author(s):  
Amarachi Paschaline Onyena ◽  
Donald Chukwudi Aniche ◽  
Bright Ogechi Ogbolu ◽  
Md. Refat Jahan Rakib ◽  
Jamal Uddin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Marine Environment ◽  
Community Involvement ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Environmental Groups ◽  
Policy Interventions ◽  
Governance Strategies

Threats emerging from microplastic pollution in the marine environment have received much global attention. This review assessed sources, fate, and impacts of microplastics in marine ecosystems and identified gaps. Most studies document the ubiquity of microplastics and associated environmental effects. Effects include impacts to marine ecosystems, risks to biodiversity, and threats to human health. Microplastic leakage into marine ecosystems arises from plastic waste mismanagement and a lack of effective mitigative strategies. This review identified a scarcity of microplastics’ mitigation strategies from different stakeholders. Lack of community involvement in microplastic monitoring or ecosystem conservation exists due to limited existence of citizen science and stakeholder co-management initiatives. Although some management strategies exist for controlling effects of microplastics (often implemented by local and global environmental groups), a standardized management strategy to mitigate microplastics in coastal areas is urgently required. There is a need to review policy interventions aimed at plastic reduction in or near coastal ecosystems and evaluate their effectiveness. There is also a need to identify focal causes of microplastic pollution in the marine environment through further environmental research and governance approaches. These would extend to creating more effective policies as well as harmonized and extended efforts of educational campaigns and incentives for plastic waste reduction while mandating stringent penalties to help reduce microplastic leakage into the marine environment.

Predicted growth in plastic waste exceeds efforts to mitigate plastic pollution

Science ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 369 (6510) ◽  
pp. 1515-1518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie B. Borrelle ◽  
Jeremy Ringma ◽  
Kara Lavender Law ◽  
Cole C. Monnahan ◽  
Laurent Lebreton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Strategies ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Waste Reduction ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystem ◽  
Plastic Pollution ◽  
Environmental Recovery ◽  
Reduce Emissions ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Different Levels

Plastic pollution is a planetary threat, affecting nearly every marine and freshwater ecosystem globally. In response, multilevel mitigation strategies are being adopted but with a lack of quantitative assessment of how such strategies reduce plastic emissions. We assessed the impact of three broad management strategies, plastic waste reduction, waste management, and environmental recovery, at different levels of effort to estimate plastic emissions to 2030 for 173 countries. We estimate that 19 to 23 million metric tons, or 11%, of plastic waste generated globally in 2016 entered aquatic ecosystems. Considering the ambitious commitments currently set by governments, annual emissions may reach up to 53 million metric tons per year by 2030. To reduce emissions to a level well below this prediction, extraordinary efforts to transform the global plastics economy are needed.

Microplastic contamination in a conventional wastewater treatment plant in Thailand

2021 ◽  
pp. 0734242X2098205
Author(s):  
Katekanya Tadsuwan ◽  
Sandhya Babel
Keyword(s):  
Wastewater Treatment ◽  
Wastewater Treatment Plant ◽  
Environmental Concern ◽  
Liquid Fraction ◽  
Treatment Plant ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Sludge Sample ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Urban Wastewater Treatment

Plastic waste has become a global environmental concern. One type of plastic waste is microplastics (MPs), which can spread easily in the environment. Wastewater effluent is one of the land-based sources of MPs. This study investigates the amount of microplastic (MP) pollution in an urban wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Thailand. Water samples were collected and examined to find the types, morphology and sources of MPs. Wastewater was filtered through a set of sieves ranging from 5 mm to 0.05 mm. Sludge samples were also collected to find the potential risk from the application of dried sewage sludge. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to confirm the types of MPs. The amount of MPs in the influent was 26.6 ± 11.8 MPs/L. More than one-third of MP particles were removed after a grit trap, followed by 14.24% removal in the secondary treatment. If the peak flow rate of the WWTP is reached, 2.32 × 109 MP particles can be released daily. The amount of MPs in a sludge sample was 8.12 ± 0.28 × 103 particles/kg dry weight. Dry sludge is one of the potential sources of MP contamination in agricultural soil. Most MPs in the liquid fraction and sludge sample were fibres. Results from FTIR analysis showed that the major types of MPs in the WWTP were polyester fibres, followed by polypropylene, polyethylene, silicone polymer and polystyrene. This finding indicates that a conventional WWTP may act as a path by which MPs enter the environment.

scholarly journals Trends and Evolution in the Concept of Marine Ecosystem Services: An Overview

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 2060
Author(s):  
Elvira Buonocore ◽  
Umberto Grande ◽  
Pier Paolo Franzese ◽  
Giovanni F. Russo
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Natural Capital ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
Policy Dialogue ◽  
Marine Ecosystem Services

The biotic and abiotic assets of the marine environment form the “marine natural capital” embedded in the global ocean. Marine natural capital provides the flow of “marine ecosystem services” that are directly used or enjoyed by people providing benefits to human well-being. They include provisioning services (e.g., food), regulation and maintenance services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage, and coastal protection), and cultural services (e.g., tourism and recreational benefits). In recent decades, human activities have increased the pressures on marine ecosystems, often leading to ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss and, in turn, affecting their ability to provide benefits to humans. Therefore, effective management strategies are crucial to the conservation of healthy and diverse marine ecosystems and to ensuring their long-term generation of goods and services. Biophysical, economic, and sociocultural assessments of marine ecosystem services are much needed to convey the importance of natural resources to managers and policy makers supporting the development and implementation of policies oriented for the sustainable management of marine resources. In addition, the accounting of marine ecosystem service values can be usefully complemented by their mapping to enable the identification of priority areas and management strategies and to facilitate science–policy dialogue. Given this premise, this study aims to review trends and evolution in the concept of marine ecosystem services. In particular, the global scientific literature on marine ecosystem services is explored by focusing on the following main aspects: the definition and classification of marine ecosystem services; their loss due to anthropogenic pressures, alternative assessment, and mapping approaches; and the inclusion of marine ecosystem services into policy and decision-making processes.

scholarly journals China’s plastic import ban increases prospects of environmental impact mitigation of plastic waste trade flow worldwide

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zongguo Wen ◽  
Yiling Xie ◽  
Muhan Chen ◽  
Christian Doh Dinga
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Trade Flow ◽  
Plastic Waste ◽  
Sharp Decline ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Waste Trade ◽  
Treatment Structure

AbstractSince the late 1990s, the trend of plastic waste shipment from developed to developing countries has been increasing. In 2017, China announced an unprecedented ban on its import of most plastic waste, resulting in a sharp decline in global plastic waste trade flow and changes in the treatment structure of countries, whose impacts on global environmental sustainability are enormous but yet unexamined. Here, through the life cycle assessment (LCA) method, we quantified the environmental impacts of changes in the flow patterns and treatment methods of 6 types of plastic waste in 18 countries subsequent to the ban. In the short term, the ban significantly improved four midpoint indicators of environmental impact, albeit contributed to global warming. An annual saving of about 2.35 billion euros of eco-cost was realized, which is equivalent to 56% of plastic waste global trade value in 2017. To achieve global environmental sustainability in the long run, countries should gradually realize the transition from export to domestic management, and from landfill to recycling, which would realize eco-costs savings of about 1.54–3.20 billion euros.

Environmental Assessment in Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction: Practice and Prospects

2017 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 252-255
Author(s):  
Robin Warner
Keyword(s):  
Human Activity ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Marine Pollution ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Marine Resources ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
National Jurisdiction ◽  
Marine Areas

Knowledge of the threats posed to the oceans by human activity has expanded beyond marine pollution to encompass recognition of the risks posed to vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) by overfishing, destructive fisheries practices, and invasive exploitation of living and nonliving marine resources. However, with the still-developing state of marine scientific research, the majority of activities at sea continue to occur with limited knowledge of their impacts on the marine environment. In this climate of uncertainty, environmental assessment assumes heightened importance. While governance structures will generally exist to facilitate environmental assessment in marine areas within national jurisdiction, these structures are still developing for marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).

scholarly journals Seasonal and Secular Variations of Atmospheric 14Co2 Over the Western Pacific Since 1994

Radiocarbon ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 901-910 ◽  
Author(s):  
H Kitagawa ◽  
Hitoshi Mukai ◽  
Yukihiro Nojiri ◽  
Yasuyuki Shibata ◽  
Toshiyuki Kobayashi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Southern Hemisphere ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Monitoring Program ◽  
Western Pacific ◽  
Environmental Research ◽  
Enso Events ◽  
Global Environmental ◽  
Secular Variations ◽  
The Western Pacific

Air sample collections over the western Pacific have continued since 1992 as a part of Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies (CGER-NIES) global environmental monitoring program. The air samples collected on the Japan-Australia transect made it possible to trace the seasonal and secular 14CO2 variations, as well as an increasing trend of greenhouse gases over the western Pacific. A subset of CO2 samples from latitudes of 10–15°N and 23–28°S were chosen for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C analysis using a NIES-TERRA AMS with a 0.3–0.4% precision. These 14CO2 records in maritime air show seasonal variations superimposed on normal exponential decreasing trends with a time constant of about 16 yr. The Δ14C values in the Northern Hemisphere are lower those in the Southern Hemisphere by 3–4 during 1994–2002. The Northern Hemisphere record shows relatively high seasonality (2.3 ± 1.5) as compared with the Southern Hemisphere (1.3 ± 1.2). The maximum values of seasonal cycles appear in late autumn and early winter in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, respectively. Oscillations of 1–10 yr over the western Pacific are found to correlate possibly with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events.

scholarly journals Identification of Risks Pertaining to Abandoned Housing Projects in Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamzah Abdul-Rahman ◽  
Chen Wang ◽  
Nur Hamizah Ariffin
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Housing Projects ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative Methods ◽  
Risk Management Strategies ◽  
Housing Industry ◽  
Ground Condition ◽  
Very High

Housing industry is one of the most dynamic, risky, and challenging industries. In Malaysia, this industry has a poor reputation for managing risks, with many major projects failing to be completed within the allotted time. Due to the inherent risks involved in construction projects, it is essential to recognize the risks that cause problems associated with abandoned housing projects. Therefore, this study aims to identify the risks that contribute to issues of abandoned housing projects and to propose mitigation strategies. The methodologies used in this study are combination of qualitative and quantitative methods of literature review, questionnaire survey, and interview. The results show that many risks are involved in housing project, including risks related to environmental impacts, construction, politics, law, management, finance, materials, and economy, of which the probability of risks from unexpected ground condition, project delays, bureaucracy, contractual disputes between developer and landlord, weakness in management by inexperience developer, and financial crisis is very high. It was also found that all relevant parties involved in housing industry are required to have extensive cooperation in advance and should perform systematic risk management strategies in order to mitigate the risks leading to problems associated with abandoned housing projects.

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