Danial Norjidi

Since 1973, World Environment Day has been marked each year on June 5.

As described by the United Nations (UN), World Environment Day is led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and is “the largest global platform for environmental public outreach and is celebrated by millions of people across the world”.

This year’s celebration, themed ‘#BeatPlasticPollution’, focusses on solutions to plastic pollution and aims to mobilise action from every corner of the world.

According to the official website for the occasion, “More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled.

“An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas. Today, plastic clogs our landfills, leaches into the ocean and is combusted into toxic smoke, making it one of the gravest threats to the planet.

“Not only that, what is less known is that microplastics find their way into the food we eat, the water we drink and even the air we breathe. Many plastic products contain hazardous additives, which may pose a threat to our health.”

In conjunction with the World Environment Day, Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) Dr Theresa Mundita S Lim issued a statement highlighted that in the ASEAN region, plastic pollution has increased tenfold since 1980, according to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

“About 20 per cent of the global plastic production is attributed to the region, causing severe impacts on its marine ecosystems,” shared Dr Lim. “In a study by two Japanese universities, about 40 per cent of seabirds surveyed around the world have ingested toxic substances derived from plastic waste.

“According to estimates, it is projected that there will be more plastics than fish in the oceans by 2050. Recent studies also suggest that the economic costs of marine debris is estimated at around USD10.8 billion for countries in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) region, including to tourism, to fishing, and shipping.”

Dr Lim further noted that, despite being endowed with rich natural resources, Southeast Asian countries with fast rising urbanisation and population growth are considered significant contributors to the leakage of land-based plastic waste going into the seas.

She shared that more than 31 million tonnes of plastics, enough to fit in about 1,500,000 shipping containers, are generated annually in just six of the 10 ASEAN member states and most of these plastics are of single-use.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has added pressure to the growing problem due to the surge in the production of face masks, face shields, personal protective equipment, and online delivery packaging due to lockdowns,” said the executive director.

Dr Lim highlighted that in this year’s World Environment Day, the ASEAN asserts its commitment to reduce plastic pollution and marine debris. “The ACB joins the global community in this campaign by intensifying regional and national cooperation; encouraging heightened collective action for the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of the coastal and marine environment; promotion of approaches and good management practices to address threats to biodiversity rich and ecologically-sensitive water bodies; and encourages knowledge sharing to manage transboundary pollution and waste issues.”

In her statement, Dr Lim also noted that the ASEAN member states have been implementing national policies and strategies to mitigate the impacts of marine debris.

“Although gaps have been identified, remediation measures have been incorporated in the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) of the ASEAN member states.

New policies against pollution were refined and formulated, pollution status using standard quality indices were monitored, and measures to mitigate pollution and its impacts on biodiversity were implemented.”

The executive director further said that ASEAN has specifically dealt with marine debris through the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in the ASEAN Region and the ASEAN Framework of Action on Marine Debris (FAMAD) since 2019.

“It reiterated the regional commitment in dealing with the risks of pollution including threats to the marine and coastal environment and it is expected to significantly reduce impacts of marine debris and contribute to a more sustainable blue economy across the ASEAN.”

The statement noted that the ACB contributes to the region-wide efforts to better safeguard ecosystems, biological species, and genetic diversity from direct pressures such as plastic pollution through its flagship programme, the ASEAN Heritage Parks (AHPs).

She also mentioned that the ACB supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts recently engaged in a study titled Understanding the Circumstances towards Achieving the Marine Protected Areas Target in the ASEAN Region.

“This technical document provides a visual demonstration of how our marine areas in the ASEAN are interconnected, not just within the region but outside the region as well.

“This means that threats to marine biodiversity, such as plastic pollution, impact marine resources across national boundaries. Effective transboundary management and coordinated action will certainly benefit from taking into consideration biophysical data which include ecological dependencies, biological life cycles, and migration patterns that are significantly affected by the common threat of plastic pollution.”

In addition, the centre launched an awareness raising campaign called, ‘Oceans are fitter without our litter’, which Dr Lim described as “a call to combat plastic pollution in coastal and marine environments in the ASEAN region by avoiding single-use plastics while promoting reusable everyday materials such as ecobags and water tumblers.”

“In compliance with ASEAN’s Guidelines on Green Meetings, the Centre also discourages the use of disposable materials and excessive packaging materials in regional events, activities, and dialogues on biodiversity.”

The executive director highlighted that application of nature-based solutions as an integrated approach is also indicated in the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework 2020 and is a viable solution to address the plastic problem.

“Nature-based solutions are adaptation actions that fully utilise ecosystem services and biodiversity benefits, and addresses both social, economic, and environmental challenges effectively. With nature-based solutions, sustainable use and management of natural resources is ensured while providing for the needs of people.”

Sharing some examples, she noted that seaweed-based products can be alternative materials to plastic, while palm-based products can be used as a more sustainable packaging instead of styrofoams. In addition, research and technologies may also be explored for riverine plastic captures while instruments such as blue financing may be pursued with the help of non-government and private sectors in the region.

“Nature-based solution examples can be fully integrated in important sectors such as health, agriculture, infrastructure, biodiversity, tourism, and others,” she said. “Finally, marine species, including microorganisms, are important indicators of a deteriorating ocean system, it is therefore vital for us to protect and monitor these as part of our early warning mechanisms to deliver timely action before the damages from pollution become irreversible and catastrophic.”

“With ASEAN regional policies and instruments in place, it is hoped that marine debris will be properly addressed and plastic pollution reduction goals under the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework or the KM GBF will be achieved to fully bring biodiversity back,” she added.