Wang Hong, director of the State Oceanic Administration of China, said here on the 8th that the prevention and control of marine micro-plastics is one of the important issues in the global management of the ocean, and it is necessary for all countries to join hands.
'Plastic garbage enters the ocean through various channels, from the equator to the poles, plastic waste is everywhere, and the marine ecosystem is deeply affected.' Wang Hong said.
Ecological Civilization Guiyang International Forum 2018 Annual Meeting 'Marine Microplastics Symposium' The summit was held on July 8th, focusing on marine microplastics prevention.
In 2017, I commissioned researchers to send deep-sea marine life to laboratory tests. The results also detected micro-plastics from organisms that lived 4,500 meters below the surface of the sea. The scope of micro-plastics in the ocean may exceed our imagination. ' Wang Hong introduced that micro-plastic refers to plastic particles with a diameter of less than five millimeters. It will be eaten by shellfish and fish, which is not conducive to its growth and development, and may also threaten human health. Micro-plastics in the ocean are called 'in the ocean. PM2.5'.
Wang Hong believes that micro-plastics are small in size and easier to spread as carriers of pathogens and marine invasive organisms. The marine micro-plastics are a new environmental issue that has attracted the attention of the international community in recent years.
Wang Hong introduced that the Chinese government attaches great importance to the issue of marine micro-plastic pollution. It has banned the production, sale and use of plastic bags with a thickness of less than 0.025 mm in the country, and has paid for the use of other plastic bags, which has greatly increased the cost of use. He said that China from 2016 Since the beginning of the year, pilot monitoring of marine micro-plastics has been carried out, and micro-plastic pollution in China's key marine areas and marine organisms has been initially grasped. At the same time, China actively participates in international cooperation and exchanges in this field of prevention and control.
'In Myanmar, about 8,000 plastic bags are discarded every day for 12 minutes.' Ding Min, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of Myanmar, said that these plastic discards are usually buried directly in the area, and the harmful substances eventually spread to Ecosystem, harmful to marine ecology.
'The UNEP survey of marine microplastic floating debris shows that the ban on single-use plastic bags is very effective, but in the long run, biodegradability does not reduce the total amount of plastic waste. ' UNEP Ecology Assistant Secretary Zhu Shuang said.
In order to better prevent marine micro-plastic pollution, this forum finally formed the "Marine Micro-Plastic Symposium Initiative".
The initiative proposes to promote relevant countries including Southeast Asian countries to build a blue partnership, carry out all-round, multi-field, deep-level cooperation, prevent and control marine micro-plastic pollution, and improve the whole process management system of micro-plastics production, consumption and disposal. Strengthen the control of micro-plastics source; accelerate the development and application of plastic product substitution and environmental cleaning technology, encourage the production and use of biodegradable plastic products and traditional plastic substitutes; call for the broad participation of all sectors of society, encourage social organizations, groups and The public carried out clean-up operations, advocated green consumption and other means to control the emission of massive micro-plastics, preventing and drastically reducing marine micro-plastic pollution.