Legal Responsibilities and International Cooperation Towards Plastic Pollution and Ocean Governance

Abstract

Recent global aquatic pollution concerns include plastic debris that does more harm to marine life, human health, and countries that depend on coastal resources for their economic value. In response, countries, as well as global actors, are working on policies of ocean management that seek to curb the use of plastic products and identify and punish offenders who have been dumping the product into the seas. This article aims to explore the existing legal and policy frameworks for managing plastic pollution based on the latest trends, such as the UNEA negotiation of a plastic treaty. The treaty seeks to establish legally enforceable rules with regard to the production and exportation of plastic, recycling, and control of plastic wastes, adoption of the extended producer responsibility draconian measures, as well as environmental pollution across borders. Then, regional measures and collaborative commitments such as the EU’s Single-Use Plastics Directive or the Ocean Plastics Charter are presented as the other schemes that operate in parallel with UNEA’s action. Insights regarding enforcement, the financial impact on developing countries, and a complicated way of regulating flows of plastics across national borders are given in the article. Such efforts for enhancing international cooperation, sound legal-environmental systems, and technological development are a drastic step towards reducing pollution caused by plastics and protecting the oceans for future generations.