Marine Pollution: India, Australia, Singapore join hands to address plastic debris

It is not only air pollution that has posed the biggest challenge for various governments in the world to address. Marine pollution is another crucial environmental issue that is equally important and challenging.

Accumulation of plastic debris in the oceans and seas have posed the biggest threat to marine life and scientists across the world are trying their level best to address the issue.

Concerned about the rising issue of plastic debris, the Government of India, in partnership with the Government of Australia and the Government of Singapore, held an international workshop on how to combat marine pollution on February 14-15, 2022 with a focus was on marine plastic debris.

“The workshop, held virtually, bought together the world’s leading experts, scientists, government officials with policy expertise, and representatives from industry, innovation and informal sectors. It aimed to discuss research interventions toward monitoring and assessing marine litter and plausible sustainable solutions to address the global marine plastic pollution issue,” the Ministry of Earth Science said in a press statement.

It added, “The workshop had four major sessions; the magnitude of the marine litter problem-monitoring program and research on plastic debris in the Indo-Pacific Region; best practices and technologies; solutions to prevent plastic pollution; and polymers and plastics: technology and innovations and opportunities for regional collaboration to remediate or stop plastic pollution. The sessions involved panel discussions and interactive break-out sessions to encourage discussion amongst participants from East Asia Summit countries.”

The Ministry further said that the East Asia Summit (EAS) is the premier forum for discussions on important strategic issues in the Indo-Pacific and a leading confidence-building mechanism.