Micro Plastic Pollution in South Asia: The Impact of Plastic Pollution over the Unsustainable Development Goals

Tasfiea Rifa; Mohammad Belayet Hossain

doi:10.58829/lp.9.2.2022.01-28

Authors

Tasfiea Rahman Rifa School of Law, Chittagong Independent University, Chittagong, Bangladesh
Mohammad Belayet Hossain School of Law, Chittagong Independent University, Chittagong, Bangladesh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58829/lp.9.2.2022.01-28

Keywords:

Microplastic, pollution, plastic debris, sustainable development goals

Abstract

One of the most pressing environmental issues facing the world right now is plastic waste. Once in the environment, plastics continuously degrade into microplastics, which are fragments of plastic. There are more national and international promises to reduce microplastic pollution as the world's plastic production rises. National governments are increasingly banning single-use plastic products or imposing taxes on them. Consider the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the UN Environment Assembly Resolutions on Marine Litter and Microplastics, and Addressing Single-Use Plastic Products Pollution as examples of these commitments. In 2015, the UN announced the adoption of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In an effort to increase their sustainability, the SDGs have been extensively adopted by governments and businesses. There are 17 SDGs, comprising 169 targets, which are measurable against 247 unique indicators but there is only one indicator under Goal 14, specifically related to reducing impacts from microplastics. There are various international and regional legal policies which have provisions that indicate plastic pollution but none of them have mentioned microplastic pollution. There are some recent national legislations regarding microplastic pollution. This paper briefly discusses the concept of microplastics and the situation of microplastics pollution in selected South Asian countries including India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. There is a brief overview of international and regional legal policies along with litigations are cultivated in this paper. The paper also analyzes the impact of plastic pollution over The Un Sustainable Development Goals.

Abstrak.

Salah satu masalah lingkungan paling mendesak yang dihadapi dunia saat ini adalah sampah plastik. Begitu berada di lingkungan, plastik terus terdegradasi menjadi mikroplastik, yang merupakan pecahan plastik. Ada lebih banyak janji nasional dan internasional untuk mengurangi polusi mikroplastik saat produksi plastik dunia meningkat. Pemerintah nasional semakin melarang produk plastik sekali pakai atau mengenakan pajak pada mereka. Pertimbangkan Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan PBB, Resolusi Majelis Lingkungan PBB tentang Sampah Laut dan Mikroplastik, dan Mengatasi Polusi Produk Plastik Sekali Pakai sebagai contoh dari komitmen ini. Pada 2015, PBB mengumumkan adopsi 17 Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan (SDGs). Dalam upaya meningkatkan keberlanjutannya, SDGs telah diadopsi secara luas oleh pemerintah dan bisnis. Ada 17 SDGs, yang terdiri dari 169 target, yang dapat diukur dengan 247 indikator unik, tetapi hanya ada satu indikator di bawah Tujuan 14, khususnya terkait pengurangan dampak mikroplastik. Terdapat berbagai kebijakan hukum internasional dan regional yang memiliki ketentuan yang mengindikasikan pencemaran plastik namun belum ada satupun yang menyebutkan pencemaran mikroplastik. Ada beberapa undang-undang nasional baru-baru ini mengenai polusi mikroplastik. Makalah ini membahas secara singkat konsep mikroplastik dan situasi polusi mikroplastik di negara-negara Asia Selatan tertentu termasuk India, Bangladesh, Maladewa, Sri Lanka, dan Pakistan. Ada gambaran singkat tentang kebijakan hukum internasional dan regional beserta litigasi yang digarap dalam tulisan ini. Makalah ini juga menganalisis dampak polusi plastik terhadap Tujuan Pembangunan Berkelanjutan PBB.

Kata kunci: Mikroplastik, polusi, sampah plastik, tujuan pembangunan berkelanjutan.

References

Ali, Imran, Qianhui Cheng, Tengda Ding, Qian Yiguang, Zhang Yuechao, Huibin Sun, Changsheng Peng, Iffat Naz, Juying Li, and Jingfu Liu. "Micro-and nanoplastics in the environment: Occurrence, detection, characterization and toxicity–A critical review." Journal of

leaner Production 313 (2021): 127863.

Ambrose, Kristal K., Carolynn Box, James Boxall, Annabelle Brooks, Marcus Eriksen, Joan Fabres, Georgios Fylakis, and Tony R. Walker. "Spatial trends and drivers of marine debris accumulation on shorelines in South Eleuthera, The Bahamas using citizen science." Marine pollution bulletin 142 (2019): 145-154.

Amrutha, K., Vishnu Unnikrishnan, Sachin Shajikumar, and Anish Kumar Warrier. "Current state of microplastics research in SAARC Countries—a review." Microplastic Pollution (2021): 27-63.

Anbumani, Sadasivam, and Poonam Kakkar. "Ecotoxicological effects of microplastics on biota: a review." Environmental Science and Pollution Research 25 (2018): 14373-14396.

Awoyera, P. O., and Adeyemi Adesina. "Plastic wastes to construction products: Status, limitations and future perspective." Case Studies in Construction Materials 12 (2020): e00330.

Banik, Partho, M. Belal Hossain, As-Ad Ujjaman Nur, Tasrina Rabia Choudhury, Samia Islam Liba, Jimmy Yu, Md Abu Noman, and Jun Sun. "Microplastics in sediment of Kuakata Beach, Bangladesh: occurrence, spatial distribution, and risk assessment." Plastics in Aquatic Systems: from Transport and Fate to Impacts and Management Perspectives (2022).

Barchiesi, Margherita, Agostina Chiavola, Camilla Di Marcantonio, and Maria Rosaria Boni. "Presence and fate of microplastics in the water sources: focus on the role of wastewater and drinking water treatment plants." Journal of Water Process Engineering 40 (2021): 101787.

Barnes, Stuart J. "Understanding plastics pollution: The role of economic development and technological research." Environmental pollution 249 (2019): 812-821.

Baroni, M. B., & Henke, R. H. (2022, January 20). Microplastics Are in the News, and Manufacturers Are Seeing Lawsuits. Industry Week. Retrieved August 29, 2022, from https://www.industryweek.com/leadership/corporate-finance/article/21214602/microplastics-are-in-the-news-and-manufacturers-are-seeing-lawsuits

Beaumont, Nicola J., Margrethe Aanesen, Melanie C. Austen, Tobias Börger, James R. Clark, Matthew Cole, Tara Hooper, Penelope K.

indeque, Christine Pascoe, and Kayleigh J. Wyles. "Global ecological, social and economic impacts of marine plastic." Marine pollution bulletin 142 (2019): 189-195.

Benavides, Pahola Thathiana, Uisung Lee, and Omid Zarè-Mehrjerdi. "Life cycle greenhouse gas emissions and energy use of polylactic acid, bio-derived polyethylene, and fossil-derived polyethylene." Journal of Cleaner Production 277 (2020): 124010.

Borrelle, Stephanie B., Jeremy Ringma, Kara Lavender Law, Cole C. Monnahan, Laurent Lebreton, Alexis McGivern, Erin Murphy et al. "Predicted growth in plastic waste exceeds efforts to mitigate plastic pollution." Science 369, no. 6510 (2020): 1515-1518.

Boucher, Julien, and Damien Friot. Primary microplastics in the oceans: a global evaluation of sources. Vol. 10. Gland, Switzerland: Iucn, 2017.

Brahney, Janice, Margaret Hallerud, Eric Heim, Maura Hahnenberger, and Suja Sukumaran. "Plastic rain in protected areas of the United States." Science 368, no. 6496 (2020): 1257-1260.

Buzzi, Elena. Policies to Reduce Microplastics Pollution in Water: Focus on Textiles and Tyres. OECD Publishing, 2021.

Chen, Ying-Chu. "Evaluating greenhouse gas emissions and energy recovery from municipal and industrial solid waste using waste-to-energy technology." Journal of Cleaner Production 192 (2018): 262-269.

Conti, Gea Oliveri, Margherita Ferrante, Mohamed Banni, Claudia Favara, Ilenia Nicolosi, Antonio Cristaldi, Maria Fiore, and Pietro Zuccarello. "Micro-and nano-plastics in edible fruit and vegetables. The first diet risks assessment for the general population." Environmental Research 187 (2020): 109677.

Council, E. "Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the Reduction of the Impact of Certain Plastic Products on the Environment." European Union: Maastricht, The Netherlands (2019).

Cowburn, Benjamin, Charlotte Moritz, Chico Birrell, Gabriel Grimsditch, and Ameer Abdulla. "Can luxury and environmental sustainability co-exist? Assessing the environmental impact of resort tourism on coral reefs in the Maldives." Ocean & coastal management 158 (2018): 120-127.

Crossman, Jill, Rachel R. Hurley, Martyn Futter, and Luca Nizzetto. "Transfer and transport of microplastics from biosolids to agricultural soils and the wider environment." Science of The Total Environment 724 (2020): 138334.

Daniel, Damaris Benny, P. Muhamed Ashraf, and Saly N. Thomas. "Microplastics in the edible and inedible tissues of pelagic fishes sold for human consumption in Kerala, India." Environmental Pollution 266 (2020): 115365.

ESDO (Environment and Social Development Association). Study Report: Microbeads! Unfold Health Risk and Environmental Pollutant. 2016. [cited 2022 August 5]. Available from: http://esdo.org/wp-content/uploads/Microbeads-final-report-10.11.16-1.pdf

Fraisl, D., Campbell, J., See, L., Wehn, U., Wardlaw, J., Gold, M., ... & Fritz, S. (2020). Mapping citizen science contributions to the UN ustainable development goals. Sustainability Science, 15(6), 1735-1751

G20. (2017). G20 Action Plan on Marine Litter. Hamburg: G20 Foundation.

G7. (2018). Statement on the issue of Marine Litter for the G7 Environment Ministers Meeting 2018. Available online at: https://fslci.org/g7-marine-litter-statement/

Gasperi, Johnny, Stephanie L. Wright, Rachid Dris, France Collard, Corinne Mandin, Mohamed Guerrouache, Valérie Langlois, Frank J. Kelly, and Bruno Tassin. "Microplastics in air: are we breathing it in?." Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 1 (2018): 1-5.

Geyer, Roland, Jenna R. Jambeck, and Kara Lavender Law. "Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made." Science advances 3, no. 7 (2017): e1700782.

Ghosh, Gopal C., Shamima M. Akter, Rashidul M. Islam, Ahsan Habib, Tapos K. Chakraborty, Samina Zaman, AHM Enamul Kabir, Oleg V. Shipin, and Marfiah A. Wahid. "Microplastics contamination in commercial marine fish from the Bay of Bengal." Regional Studies in Marine Science 44 (2021): 101728.

Hosler, Dorothy, Sandra L. Burkett, and Michael J. Tarkanian. "Prehistoric polymers: rubber processing in ancient Mesoamerica." Science 284, no. 5422 (1999): 1988-1991.

Hossain, M. Belal, Partho Banik, As-Ad Ujjaman Nur, and Turabur Rahman. "Abundance and characteristics of microplastics in sediments from the world's longest natural beach, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh." Marine Pollution Bulletin 163 (2021): 111956.

Hossain, M. Shahadat, Faisal Sobhan, Mohammad Nasir Uddin, S. M. Sharifuzzaman, Sayedur Rahman Chowdhury, Subrata Sarker, and M. Shah Nawaz Chowdhury. "Microplastics in fishes from the Northern Bay of Bengal." Science of the Total Environment 690 (2019): 821-830.

Jeyasanta, K. Immaculate, Narmatha Sathish, Jamila Patterson, and JK Patterson Edward. "Macro-, meso-and microplastic debris in the beaches of Tuticorin district, Southeast coast of India." Marine pollution bulletin 154 (2020): 111055.

Kapinga, Chrispin Petro, and Shing Hin Chung. "Marine plastic pollution in South Asia." (2020).

Kapukotuwa, R. W. M. G. K., N. Jayasena, K. C. Weerakoon, C. L. Abayasekara, and R. S. Rajakaruna. "High levels of microplastics in commercial salt and industrial salterns in Sri Lanka." Marine pollution bulletin 174 (2022): 113239.

Kim, Suk Kyoon. "Marine pollution response in Northeast Asia and the NOWPAP regime." Ocean Development & International Law 46, no. 1 (2015): 17-32.

Koongolla, J. Bimali, A. L. Andrady, PB Terney Pradeep Kumara, and C. S. Gangabadage. "Evidence of microplastics pollution in coastal beaches and waters in southern Sri Lanka." Marine pollution bulletin 137 (2018): 277-284.

Kumar, Manish, Hongyu Chen, Surendra Sarsaiya, Shiyi Qin, Huimin Liu, Mukesh Kumar Awasthi, Sunil Kumar et al. "Current research trends on micro-and nano-plastics as an emerging threat to global environment: a review." Journal of Hazardous Materials 409 (2021): 124967.

Law, Kara Lavender, Natalie Starr, Theodore R. Siegler, Jenna R. Jambeck, Nicholas J. Mallos, and George H. Leonard. "The United States’ contribution of plastic waste to land and ocean." Science advances 6, no. 44 (2020): eabd0288.

Lebreton, Laurent, and Anthony Andrady. "Future scenarios of global plastic waste generation and disposal." Palgrave Communications 5, no. 1 (2019): 1-11.

Lim, XiaoZhi. "Microplastics are everywhere—but are they harmful." Nature 593, no. 7857 (2021): 22-25.

Liu, Zhe, Michelle Adams, and Tony R. Walker. "Are exports of recyclables from developed to developing countries waste pollution transfer or part of the global circular economy?." Resources, Conservation and Recycling 136 (2018): 22-23.

Mandatory Jute Packaging Act. (2010). [cited 2022 August 5]. Available from: http://motj.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/motj.portal.gov.bd/law/de00c47c_82e0_4 eca_a5a9_f77cbd6c92ec/25september13.pdf

Md Hyat, U. S. "Plastic Recycling in Bangladesh." What needs to be done (2015).

Microplastics | National Geographic Society. (n.d.). National Geographic. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/microplastics/

Microplastics. (n.d.). Wasser 3.0. Retrieved July 28, 2022, from https://wasserdreinull.de/en/knowledge/microplastics/

Mitrano, D. M., & Wohlleben, W. (2020). Microplastic regulation should be more precise to incentivize both innovation and environmental safety. Nature Communications, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19069-1

Montalbetti, Enrico, Luca Saponari, Simone Montano, Davide Maggioni, Inga Dehnert, Paolo Galli, and Davide Seveso. "New insights into the ecology and corallivory of Culcita sp.(Echinodermata: Asteroidea) in the Republic of Maldives." Hydrobiologia 827 (2019): 353-

Montano, Simone, Giovanni Strona, Davide Seveso, Davide Maggioni, and Paolo Galli. "Widespread occurrence of coral diseases in the central Maldives." Marine and Freshwater Research 67, no. 8 (2015): 1253-1262.

Mukheed, M., and K. Alisha. "Plastic pollution in Pakistan: environmental and health Implications." J. Pollut. Effects Contr 4 (2020): 251-258.

Parvin, Fahmida, Jayasree Nath, Tamanna Hannan, and Shafi M. Tareq. "Proliferation of microplastics in commercial sea salts from the world longest sea beach of Bangladesh." Environmental Advances 7 (2022): 100173.

Perry, C. T., and K. M. Morgan. "Post-bleaching coral community change on southern Maldivian reefs: is there potential for rapid recovery?." Coral Reefs 36, no. 4 (2017): 1189-1194.

Perumal, Karthikeyan, and Subagunasekar Muthuramalingam. "Microplastics pollution studies in India: a recent review of sources abundances and research perspectives." Research Square; http://doi. org/10.21203/rs. 3. rs-535083/v1 (2021).

Peterson, Charles. "Assessment of solid waste management practices and its vulnerability to climate risks in Maldives Tourism Sector." Report submitted to Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (2013).

Prata, Joana Correia. "Microplastics in wastewater: State of the knowledge on sources, fate and solutions." Marine pollution bulletin 129, no. 1 (2018): 262-265.

RameshKumar, Saranya, P. Shaiju, and Kevin E. O'Connor. "Bio-based and biodegradable polymers-State-of-the-art, challenges and emerging trends." Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 21 (2020): 75-81.

Rogers, K. (2022, April 5). microplastics. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/microplastic

Sequeira, Inês F., Joana C. Prata, João P. da Costa, Armando C. Duarte, and Teresa Rocha-Santos. "Worldwide contamination of fish with microplastics: A brief global overview." Marine Pollution Bulletin 160 (2020): 111681.

Shen, Maocai, Wei Huang, Ming Chen, Biao Song, Guangming Zeng, and Yaxin Zhang. "(Micro) plastic crisis: un-ignorable contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions and climate change." Journal of Cleaner Production 254 (2020): 120138.

Shevealy, Seba, Kitty Courtney, and John E. Parks. "The Honolulu Strategy: A global framework for prevention and management of marine debris." (2012).

Sobhani, Zahra, Yongjia Lei, Youhong Tang, Liwei Wu, Xian Zhang, Ravi Naidu, Mallavarapu Megharaj, and Cheng Fang. "Microplastics generated when opening plastic packaging." Scientific reports 10, no. 1 (2020): 4841.

Stevens, Guy MW, and Niv Froman. "The Maldives Archipelago." In World seas: an environmental evaluation, pp. 211-236. Academic Press, 2019.

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Our history and close relationship. (n.d.). Enelamericas.Com. Retrieved August 6, 2022, from https://www.enelamericas.com/en/investors/a202107-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs -our-history-and-close-relationship.html

Take Action for the Sustainable Development Goals. (n.d.). United Nations. Retrieved August 6, 2022, from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

The Maldives is becoming engulfed with microplastics. (2020, August 7). Sustainability Times. Retrieved August 5, 2022, from

United Nations (1982). United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in 31363. Jamaica: UN General Assembly.

US Department of Commerce, N. O. and A. A. (2016, April 13). What are microplastics? NOAA's

National Ocean Service. Retrieved August 2, 2022, from https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/microplastics.html

Vaid, Mansi, Komal Mehra, and Anshu Gupta. "Microplastics as contaminants in Indian environment: a review." Environmental Science and Pollution Research (2021):

Vethaak, A. Dick, and Juliette Legler. "Microplastics and human health." Science 371, no. 6530 (2021): 672-674.

Walker, Tony R. "(Micro) plastics and the UN sustainable development goals." Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry 30 (2021): 100497.

Xu, Baile, Fei Liu, Zachary Cryder, Dan Huang, Zhijiang Lu, Yan He, Haizhen Wang et al. "Microplastics in the soil environment: occurrence, risks, interactions and fate–a review." Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology 50, no. 21 (2020): 2175-2222.

Zhongming, Zhu, Lu Linong, Yao Xiaona, and Liu Wei. "Tackling plastic pollution for green growth in Bangladesh." (2021).