Today (22), The Wildlife and Nature Protection Society Sri Lanka (WNPS) and the High Commission of Canada will be presenting a joint edition of WNPS’ “Marine Chat” dedicated to marine plastic pollution and featuring panellists from Sri Lanka, Canada, and the Maldives. This special edition of Marine Chat is supported by Kumarika.
“Marine Chat” is a monthly discussion series presented by WNPS showcasing some of Sri Lanka’s best marine scientists, and discussing issues related to marine conservation and exploration.
The panellists speaking at this special session of “Marine Chat” include Environment and Climate Change Canada Senior Advisor of Multilateral Affairs Nicholas Barber, Zero Waste Maldives Co-Founder Ahmed Afrah Ismail, and Marine Environment Protection Authority (MEPA) General Manager Dr. Terney Pradeep Kumara.
The very real issue of plastic pollution in our marine environments
The ocean is Earth’s largest ecosystem. It covers over 70% of the planet’s surface and provides untold biodiversity, life, and food. It’s an integral part of the balance that makes life on Earth liveable. The ocean is often overlooked because, well, it is the ocean, and we have no idea what lies beneath it. It’s a great expanse and a mystery, and we can chuck anything in the ocean and never see it again – which is exactly part of the problem.
In 2019, earthday.org listed Sri Lanka as the world’s fifth largest plastic polluter in the world. Let that sink in. A 65 km² country of approximately 21 million people contributes to plastic waste along the same lines as countries like China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Data showed that waste more than five million kg of plastic, per day, despite not being one of the world’s largest consumers of plastic.
The impact of plastic on marine environments and wildlife is severe. Plastic pollutants are generally divided into two categories: megaplastics and microplastics. Megaplastics (sometimes referred to as macroplastics) are plastic products larger than 20 mm, and include plastic toothbrushes, cups, bottles, bags, chairs, or vehicle parts. Microplastics refer to debris that is under 20 mm when entering the marine environment (such as microfibres, microbeads, and plastic pellets).
Microplastics are often accidentally consumed by marine life, compromising their immune systems and health, and in the case of fish and other organisms we use for food, making them unsafe to eat.
Megaplastics pose serious threats to marine animals, trapping them and sometimes killing them, or affecting their lives immeasurably, like in the case of sea turtles, arguably marine plastic pollution’s most visible victims, who get trapped in a six-pack ring, for instance, and then grow around that ring in a way where their bodies can never function healthily.
Plastic production and the mismanagement of plastic waste also contribute significantly to climate change. Increased plastic disrupts the ability of phytoplankton to remove carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from the atmosphere via photosynthesis.
WNPS Marine Chat: Addressing the issue and looking at ways forward
During this edition of the WNPS Marine Chat, the speakers and panellists will discuss further the impacts of plastic pollution, and how we can begin to recover and take steps to minimise the impact of plastic pollution in the Sri Lankan marine environment context.
Environment and Climate Change Canada Senior Advisor of Multilateral Affairs Barber will discuss his work overseeing Canada’s participation in the environment tracks of G7 and G20, as well as international policies and engagement on plastic pollution, ocean health, and coastal resilience.
Zero Waste Maldives Co-Founder Ismail will speak on single-use plastic and microplastic pollution in the Maldives and the country’s efforts to phase out single-use plastics by 2023. Speaking on being a part of the WNPS Marine Chat, Ismail shared that he was excited to be able to represent Zero Waste Maldives on such a platform and seeing so many civil society organisations working in this space.
“In recent years, the Maldives has been making bold moves pertaining to single-use plastic and marine pollution,” Ismail said. “During the panel, I hope to share some of the work we have been doing in this area, both on a policy advocacy level and implementation. I will also talk about waste management in a broad context, how mismanagement of waste results in marine pollution, and how we can counter this.”
MEPA General Manager Dr. Kumara will speak about how coastal pollution is one of Sri Lanka’s biggest issues. In addition to his role at the MEPA, he is also working as the General Manager of the Ministry of Urban Development, Coast Conservation, Waste Disposal, and Public Sanitation. He is also a senior lecturer in the Department of Oceanography and Marine Geology, University of Ruhuna.
“More than 80% of our marine plastic pollution is from land-based sources,” Dr. Kumara explained. “From my understanding, we need to control it from the source. This is an eye-opener for people on how to control it.”
Dr. Kumara explained that on “Marine Chats”, he hopes to speak about the magnitude of the issue in general, what happens to our coastal belts with pollution and how households can control and minimise their waste, as a group and as individuals. “I will be discussing the actions we have taken globally and regionally, helping participants to understand this issue from a wildlife level, and how, as individuals, they can contribute and support to help solve this problem.”
“Marine Chats: Plastic Pollution in the Marine Environment” will take place today (Monday, 22 February) at 7.30 p.m. via Zoom and on Facebook Live through the WNPS Facebook page.
