Our Plastic, Our Problem


The Amazing Mr. Smashing sings an info-operetta about plastic in our oceans!

Our huge level of consumption and the accompanying waste it creates is leading to terrifying amounts of plastic entering our seas. All sorts of unpleasant effects are being discovered by researchers, including plastics acting as magnets for toxic chemicals, which are then being swallowed by sea life. We must act now to stop any more plastic reaching the oceans. There are many ways to do this, and every person can make simple changes in their lives to reduce their impact, but we also need the laws in place to ensure action by European governments.

2014 is the year that the European Commission reviews its various waste policies, including the waste framework directive. This means we have an opportunity to recognise the seriousness of marine litter and take strong steps to reduce waste and improve how it is managed. Let’s show the law makers how much we care about our beautiful beaches and seas: like and share this video, using the hashtag #marinelitter and let’s make a noise about the problem of plastics in our seas!

To find out more and take action, visit www.seas-at-risk.org.

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Inside Climate News; Pacific and Caribbean Island Nations Call for the First Universal Carbon Levy on International Shipping Emissions

The International Maritime Organization has been asked to enact a carbon levy of $150 per ton of emissions from large freight and passenger ships. The IMO’s 175 member nations have until next year to vote.

October 21, 2024
Berge Stahl, Berge Stahl Port of Rotterdam, Holland 08-Jul-2006. Photo by Alf van Beem, supplied by Pixabay/WikimediaImages

As this week’s International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting (IMO, MEPC 82) closed this afternoon, the Clean Shipping Coalition urged the national delegations of countries that support ambitious climate action to properly resource and pick up the pace of negotiations to ensure that shipping’s climate pollution peaks and reduces in line with the IMO’s 2023 GHG strategy, thus curbing the sector’s contribution to the worst impacts of climate breakdown.

October 4, 2024
Infographic: Navigating towards the solution: Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII), a global GHG standard and a levy

Ahead of next week’s International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee meeting, the Clean Shipping Coalition urged national delegations that support ambitious climate action to also insist that the IMO revise its ship efficiency standards to ensure the organisation’s climate targets are met.

September 27, 2024