Sources, Fate and Effects of Microplastics in the Marine Environment

#chemicals & waste #ocean #plastic #microplastic #GESAMP #SDGs #sustainable development

• GESAMP report(s)

The Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP) is an advisory body, established in 1969, that advises the United Nations (UN) system on the scientific aspects of marine environmental protection.

Plastics have become indispensable in many areas of modern life, used for clothing, storage, transportation, packaging, construction and a host of consumer goods. One of plastics greatest properties, its durability, is also one of the main reasons that plastics present a threat to the marine environment. To understand this issue better, GESAMP was tasked to conduct a global assessment, based on published information, of the sources, fate and effects of microplastics in the marine environment. This year GESAMP published Part 2 of their major report on Sources, Fate and Effects of Microplastics in the Marine Environment, following part 1 published in 2015.