With plastic pollution a major priority for governments across Asia, scientists have been working diligently to expand understanding of the problem. This review by the UN Environment Programme, the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) shows that although there is a vast amount of research on plastic pollution being produced, significant gaps remain that may limit evidence-based decision making.
The review includes a comprehensive report of published plastic pollution research, policies and initiatives in ASEAN+3 as well as a searchable database of research and a series of graphics. It is the first review and database of its kind for the region. With new studies examining the plastic pollution problem being published regularly, the online inventory of marine litter research and frameworks will be continuously expanded and updated.
The initial review looked nearly 400 scientific publications on marine plastic pollution in 13 countries in South East and East Asia. It shows that research has varied widely across countries, including in methodologies, types of data collected, study areas, baselines, and other elements critical to governments who need to make policy decisions based on the research.
This initiative was developed by an interdisciplinary research team with additional support from the UNEP-COBSEA SEA circular project and the Singapore Maritime Institute.
