Liu Youbin, spokesman of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said on the 31st that the monitoring showed that compared with the investigation of microplastics carried out in other sea areas around the world, the marine microplastics pollution in China is generally at a medium to low level, with the Midwestern Mediterranean and the Japanese Seto Inland Sea. The sea area is in the same order of magnitude.
At the regular press conference held by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Liu Youbin said that marine microplastics is a new environmental issue that the international community has been paying more attention to in recent years. The Chinese government attaches great importance to this issue.
He said that China beginning in 2016, has organized a pilot monitoring of marine micro-plastics, initially mastered the micro plastic pollution focused on the marine waters of our country and marine organisms in our country to carry out a special study of marine micro-plastics, 2016 'Marine Micro-plastics monitoring and evaluation of ecological and environmental benefits were incorporated into the national key R&D program of the Ministry of Science and Technology for the protection of marine environment safety; in 2017, the National Marine Environmental Monitoring Center established the Marine Garbage and Micro-Plastics Research Center, focusing on pollution prevention of marine litter and micro-plastics. Research on related technologies, methods and management strategies. At the same time, China is actively participating in the international cooperation and exchange of marine microplastics prevention and control.
According to the reporter, micro-plastics in the ocean are small-sized plastic particles and textile fibers. They are called 'PM2.5 in the ocean' and pose risks to marine ecological security. Organizations such as the UN Environment Agency have called on everyone. Work together to address the environmental challenge of plastic contamination.
The ocean is an important part of the eco-environmental system. The “2017 China Eco-environmental Status Bulletin” released on the same day shows that in 2017, the total area of sea water that meets the first type of water quality standards in the entire sea area accounts for 96% of the area under China’s jurisdiction. Water quality remained stable, and the water quality level was general. Nearshore waters, Bohai Sea, South China Sea had normal water quality, Yellow Sea water quality was good, and the water quality of the East China Sea was poor. Among the 9 important estuary bays, Jiaozhou Bay and Beibu Bay enjoyed good water quality, and the water quality of Liaodong Bay was normal. The water quality of the Bay, the Yellow River, and the Minjiang Estuary is poor, and the Yangtze River estuary, Hangzhou Bay and the Pearl River estuary have poor water quality.
According to the communique, in 2017, China’s coastal sea level was 58 mm higher than normal (1993-2011), which was lower than 2016. The sea level in China’s coastal areas has been at a high level for more than 30 years in the past six years.