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Protecting our oceans and advancing a sustainable blue economy require in-depth understanding of marine systems, driven by robust ocean observation, monitoring and valuation. Yet collecting reliable data remains time- and resource-intensive. This data is vital for scientists, emergency responders, and decision-makers to support early-warning...

This study provides an indicative comparative assessment of the factors underlying these challenges by examining policy content, regulatory enforcement, and institutional capacity related to OWB across ten selected Asian countries: Cambodia, China, India, Iraq, Jordan, Laos, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Thailand. The researchers employed a...

In March 2022, during the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA 5.2), Resolution 5/14 was adopted, initiating efforts to develop an international legally binding instrument to address plastic pollution, including pollution of the marine environment. This resolution resulted in the formation of the Intergovernmental...

As plastics are utilised in a broad range of sectors, there are various kinds of plastic pollution sources. A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report assessing marine litter and plastic pollution identified major land-based pollution sources to the ocean (UNEP, 2021). While landfills are regarded as one of the major sources, other...

Plastic, which makes up 10%–13% of daily municipal solid waste at a global level, is a major component of solid waste (Kibria et al., 2023). The growing population, rapid urbanisation, and ongoing industrial development are key drivers behind the escalating plastic waste crisis, leading to serious, human-made environmental challenges that threaten...

Single-use plastics (SUPs) have become one of the most pressing environmental, social, and economic challenges facing the world, contributing significantly to the triple planetary crisis of biodiversity, climate change, and pollution (Schmidt et al., 2024). While many governments have developed a range of policy solutions to the problem of SUPs –...

Plastics, known for their versatility, durability, and affordability, are ubiquitous in everyday life. Their consumption, particularly of single-use items like packaging – the largest application of plastic resins (UNIDO, 2023) – surged during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and even post-pandemic, driven by increased reliance on...

Plastic pollution has emerged as one of the most pervasive and persistent threats to marine ecosystems worldwide. Due to its durability and resistance to natural degradation, plastic debris accumulates rapidly, with projections suggesting that by 2050, the total mass of plastics in the oceans could surpass that of fish (World Economic Forum, Ellen...

The environmental impact of plastics on the natural environment has been frequently discussed over the past decade (Cottom, Cook, and Velis, 2024; Jambeck et al., 2015). A discussion at the World Economic Forum in 2016 sparked a global debate and prompted a call for action on plastics as well as research to address the projected increase in plastic...