12,000 tonnes of litter in Norway were cleared in the last seven years, according to the national clean-up statistics from the Center against marine pollution (Marfo). 32,000 clean-up operations have been carried out with half a million mobilized participants. – I am pleasantly surprised that you have managed to collect so much litter, but at the same time alarmed that there is so much. Once it is found, it is incredibly good that you pick it up. But over 12,000 tonnes shows that we have a huge problem that must be solved structurally, says Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth-Eide to news. – Drop in the sea It testifies first and foremost to an absolutely fantastic effort from many volunteers. Then of course it is incredibly sad that there is so much rubbish out there that needs to be cleaned up, says Eirik Lindebjerg, leader of the plastic team at the WWF World Wide Fund for Nature. Photo: Eivind Molde / news It is estimated that between 9 and 14 million tonnes of plastic end up in the ocean every year. 12,000 tonnes in Norway can therefore appear microscopic globally. It is possible to clear a lot, but the problem is that more will come, says Eirik Lindebjerg of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). – 12,000 tonnes is a very important contribution and effort that has been made. At the same time, it is only a drop in the ocean when we know that between 9 and 14 million tonnes of new plastic is released into nature every year on a global level, he says. – It is fantastic that so many people are doing it, but we must and to a greater extent manage to stop the flow of new plastic into nature. – How are people supposed to maintain their commitment to cleaning up, when there is only more to come? – It is tough. We must get much better measures around our plastic economy. It cannot be the case that we can rely on volunteers to clean up the waste from business, which comes from business activities. I think many of the volunteers are impatient to see tougher measures to stop plastic littering, says Lindebjerg. Many people really got their eyes on plastic cleanup after a whale stranded on Sotra in 2017 with a belly full of plastic. Photo: Christoph Noever / University of Bergen – It’s a point to pick Part of the waste that is picked is registered according to origin. Of this waste, 60 per cent comes from commercial activities, according to Marfo’s figures. It is especially plastic pellets, blasting cables, reinforcing fiber and rope that are registered in large numbers. – It is important to tell all those who clean up that in addition to cleaning up, serious work is now being done in Norway and internationally to reduce the risk of future plastic pollution, says the Minister for Climate and Environment. The framework for an international agreement on plastic pollution was adopted during the UN Environment Assembly in Nairobi last year. The meeting has been chaired by Norway’s Minister for Climate and Environment Espen Barth-Eide. Photo: KLD It has been decided that the UN will create a legally binding agreement to stop plastic littering in the world, which means that the world’s countries commit to new rules and practices for how we handle and produce plastic. So far, a framework has been drawn up, after which a committee will be set up to get the details in place. The member countries here have an ambition for it to be ready in 2024. – Norway leads the international high-ambition coalition to get a strong plastic agreement based on the decision in the UN Environment Assembly last year, and hopes to have it in place by 2024. It is both about clean-up of what is, but also change the entire plastic economy, says Barth Eide. – The aim is to stop plastic leaking into nature. Then we have to think through our dealings with this product, he says and points out that plastic is quite new in world history. – It was only in the 50s and 60s that this started to become common and really took off. A lot of the plastic that is in the world now was created after the year 2000, says Barth Eide. – Humanity has managed without so much plastic before, and we will manage to do so in the future as well, says Bath Eide. Photo: CATO HELDAL KRISTENSEN / news Plastic production skyrockets We humans ingest plastic through the food we eat and the air we breathe. The damage is even greater for the environment and the animals. The world is becoming increasingly full of plastic and it is expected that production will only increase in the coming years if international rules do not slow it down. Several believe that change is possible if the United States joins the team, the world’s largest producer of plastic waste per capita. Making plastic less toxic and easier to reuse is among some of the rules that could be adopted. Waves, weather and wind have transported large quantities of plastic onto land. On Lisle Lyngøy, outside Bergen, the spring flies have used plastic for house construction.
ttn-69
Just a drop in the ocean – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
