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Will there be more plastic than fish in the sea by 2050?

  • Publication Date | October 1, 2022
  • Document Type | Articles & Stories
  • Programmes | Pollution & Extractives
  • Issues | Pollution, Toxics, Waste
  • Tags | Break Free From Plastics, single use plastic
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Do you know that less than 10% of plastics that we use and discard are recycled, while 14% has been incinerated and 76% has been disposed of in landfills or released into the environment since 1950. Plastic production has increased to 460 million tonnes in 2019 and subsequently plastic waste generation is also escalating. Globally, nearly 8 million tonnes of plastic waste find their way into our ocean every year (OSPAR Commission 2017). Examples of the plastic wastes that come from the land are plastic bags, disposables consisting of  menstrual pads, plastic bottles, food and drink containers, diapers, and so on. 

Marine life is severely affected by plastic pollution

Oceans support up to 80% of the Earth’s biodiversity and provide the major protein sources for humans. But now, marine life is severely affected by plastic pollution as 80% of the marine litter consists of plastic. According to research by Wilcox et.al (2018), 52% of the world’s turtles have mistakenly consumed plastic waste as the floating plastics look like their major food sources, such as jellyfish, sea grass, or algae. Eventually, the turtles will die from suffocation because the plastic cannot be digested. Same with the turtles, seabirds that prey on fish will also accidentally eat the plastic waste. As the plastics pile up in their stomachs, their stomachs will have no space for food, and this will cause the seabirds to die of starvation.

As the larger pieces of plastic break down into smaller and smaller pieces, microplastic will be formed. Microplastics are very small and cause detrimental effects on marine organisms. The microplastics will enter the marine food chain and cause reduced food intake, delayed growth, oxidative damage, reduced reproduction, and abnormal behavior in marine creatures. Seafood consumption is one pathway for human microplastics exposure.

Besides this, plastic-based fishing nets and ropes are also threatening marine life by trapping them inside. According to the World Wildlife Fund, annually 300,000 whales, dolphins, and porpoises are accidentally stuck in abandoned fishnets. These poor marine creatures will not be able to escape from the nets and will slowly die from starvation, suffocation, or exhaustion.

On a recent visit to Semporna, Sabah, Enzo Visca, a student from Universiti Sains Malaysia was shocked to encounter the amount of waste dumped surrounding the floating village of Kampung Simunul. The discarded waste including plastic materials will inextricably leak to the sea. 

As marine litter pollution is getting serious, the Ministry of Environment and Water with the technical support from the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) has developed the National Marine Litter Policy and Action Plan 2021-2023 to address the issue. There are three targeted areas for marine litter actions at the national level, i.e. reducing the amount and impact of land-based solid waste, sea-based solid waste, and marine litter on shorelines into the sea. We need concerted efforts and actions to address the marine litter issue in Malaysia and globally.

Adapted from the National Marine Litter Policy and Action Plan 2021-2023

In order to save our world and oceans from plastic, all countries must develop and implement an effective waste management infrastructure to ensure that all waste and end-of-life plastics are recovered and dealt with in an environmentally-safe manner. We need to address marine litter and the full lifecycle of plastics as these pollutants are damaging our oceans. Together, we must clean up and protect our oceans!

This article was contributed by Ung Jun Min, intern at SAM


References

[1] End Plastic Pollution by 2040 | High Ambition Coalition. Retrieved from https://hactoendplasticpollution.org/

[2] OSPAR Commission (2017) Assessment document of land-based inputs of microplastics in the marine environment.

[3] Wilcox, C., Puckridge, M., Schuyler, Q, A., Townsend, K., Hardesty, B, D. (2018). A quantitative analysis linking sea turtle mortality and plastic debris ingestion. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-30038-z

[4] Johnson, C. (2021) Whales and the plastics problem | WWF. Retrieved from https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/whales-and-the-plastics-problem

[5] Li, Y., Sun, Y., Li, J., Tang, R., Miu, Y., Ma, X. (2021) IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science Research on the Influence of Microplastics on Marine Life. Retrieved from https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/631/1/012006/pdf#:~:text=Marine%20microplastics%20will%20affect%20many,oxidative%20damage%20and%20abnormal%20behavior.

[6] Ministry of Environment and Water. National Marine Litter Policy and Action Plan 2021-2030.

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Testimonials

Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah satu badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang telah sekian lama berjuang mempertahan kelestarian alam. Ia juga mendidik masyarakat tentang pentingnya kebersamaan dalam pemikiran dan tindakan agar alam ini dapat kita wariskan kepada generasi hadapan dalam keadaan yang elok dan terpelihara. Dalam pada itu juga SAM giat membantu golongan nelayan pantai dalam memperjuangkan hak-hak mereka sehinggalah tertubuhnya Persatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING). Nelayan pantai sepenuh masa ini dididik oleh SAM sehingga mereka mampu memainkan peranan sebagai pemimpin nelayan yang meneruskan kesinambungan memperjuangkan hak-hak nelayan pantai lainnya. Sebagai contoh SAM telah berjaya menyedarkan masyarakat nelayan keperluan menjaga hutan paya bakau untuk kebaikan hasil tangkapan nelayan itu sendiri.
Jamaluddin Mohamad Bualik
Jamaluddin Mohamad BualikPersatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Jaringan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING)
During the 1980s, I used to read about the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) in the news. After retirement, some time in 2001, while lazing around, I read news about the construction of a carbon in leach plant using sodium cyanide to extract gold in Bukit Koman. My friends and I visited CAP and we were introduced to SAM and her legal team. We discussed the details of filing a case against the gold mining company and the department of environment with Ms Meenakshi Raman and her legal team. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between lawyers from SAM and many of us from Bukit Koman. We had many ups and downs in our struggle to shut down the gold mine that was causing a nuisance in our village. But, as a community we never gave up because SAM had our backs.
Hue Fui How
Hue Fui HowSecretary, Bukit Koman Ban Cyanide in Goldmining Action Committee (BCAC)
Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah sebuah NGO yang memperjuangkan nasib masyarakat luar bandar khasnya. SAM menerima aduan-aduan masyarakat dan menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi. SAM telah mewujudkan ramai aktivis-aktivis sosial dan alam sekitar. Pada era 1980 dan 90an SAM sangat dihormati oleh masyarakat dan agensi kerajaan. Apabila media sosial menguasai maklumat maka SAM pun terkesan dan masalah masyarakat terus disalurkan dengan pelbagai cara. SAM perlu mewujudkan aktivis-aktivis pelapis yang muda untuk terus membantu masyarakat. SAM juga perlu membuat perubahan supaya banyak turun kelapangan dan jangan mengharapkan laporan media sahaja. Tingkatkan prestasi sebagaimana pada zaman kegemilangan SAM di era 80-90an.
Che Ani Mt Zain
Che Ani Mt Zain
SAM taught me the importance of social activism and the role it plays in upholding the rights of people and the protection of the environment. In my experience, SAM has never hesitated to speak up in defence of people and their environment, and has gone the extra mile to champion their rights, by helping communities take their battles to the higher ups and even to the courts.
Jessica Binwani
Jessica BinwaniPublic/Private Interest Lawyer
Semenjak kami kenal SAM, banyak pengalaman dan pengetahuan yg kami dapat. Kami telah belajar cara membuat baja asli daripada SAM. Semenjak itu, bermulalah minat kami dalam aktiviti pertanian. Dengan memperolehi kemahiran dalam membuat baja asli dan penanaman lestari, kami juga telah dapat menambahkan pendapatan sampingan kami. Ini lebih baik daripada tanah kami terbiar dan tidak diusahakan. Terima kasih SAM kerana sudi memberi bantuan dan tunjuk ajar kepada Persatuan kami.
Chedo Anak Nyuwen
Chedo Anak NyuwenPersatuan Penduduk Sg Buri, Bakong, Marudi
My journey with SAM started when her community organisers took me to the meet the paddy farmers of Kedah, connecting my growing interest in environmental law with our people who struggle to work the land in the face of pollution, replacement of traditional seeds with commercial hybrids and their accompanying chemical package of fertilisers and weedicides. I then had the honour to work with SAM in the struggle for the rights of the native communities of Sarawak, in defence of their forests from massive logging and destructive mega-projects. In every issue that SAM takes up, she combines rigorous research with the realities and voices of the communities to advocate for policies and laws that care for people and nature. From the courts to the elected legislators to policy makers and implementers and to the United Nations, SAM walks side by side with the communities in Malaysia. How can I not be inspired by the vision and passion of the generations of women and men who coalesce to form SAM?
Chee Yoke Ling
Chee Yoke Lingstudent of SAM, Executive Director of Third World Network, SAM’s sister organisation

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No. 1, Jalan Joki,
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Tel: +604 827 6930
Fax: +604 827 6932

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129A, First Floor,
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98058 Marudi,
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Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Headquarters)
No. 1, Jalan Joki, 11400 Penang,
Malaysia
Tel: +604 827 6930
Fax: +604 827 6932

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Marudi Office)
129A, First Floor,
Jalan Tuanku Taha,
P.O.Box 216,
98058 Marudi, Baram, Sarawak,
Malaysia
Tel & Fax: +6085 758 973

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