The State of Plastic Pollution in the Seas

input in plastic production. Appropriate pricing would have crosssector benefits regarding air pollution and can be supported by progressively phasing out single-use plastics (SUPs).

The chapter concludes with detailed descriptions of a broad set of policy measures to stem the plastic tide, hence putting countries on a GRID path to tackle the issue of marine-plastic pollution and related problems. It details the deficiencies of SWM throughout the region, the reasons for unsustainable consumption and production patterns, and ways to tackle those issues. It also discusses the importance of increasing public awareness about the negative consequences of marine-plastic pollution as well as ways to garner support for cleanups of plastic waste, both in the seas and on the beaches. Pondering and acting on these policy recommendations will be crucial if the Middle East and North Africa is to get a grip on the flow of plastics in its seas and address this issue consistent with a GRID framework.

THE STATE OF PLASTIC POLLUTION IN THE SEAS

Plastic-polluted seas are a consequence of both the growth in plastic use over recent decades and of poor SWM. Global plastic production has increased exponentially over the past 50 years, from 2 million tons in 1950 to more than 454 million tons in 2018 (Alessi and Di Carlo 2018). The prevalent and increasing use of plastics mainly has to do with its low cost (compared with alternatives) and its favorable physical characteristics—which, for example, increase the shelf life of perishable products and reduce transportation costs.

Unfortunately, much of the plastic that is produced ends up in the oceans, and quantities of buoyant macroplastics on the ocean surface and along coastlines could quadruple by the mid-twenty-first century, reaching an estimated 4.5 million tons (Lebreton, Egger, and Slat 2019).1 Given these staggering numbers and the many adverse effects of marineplastic pollution (discussed in the next section), it has been put squarely on the international agenda as a top global priority (box 4.1). These international dialogues will also set the context for the Middle East and North Africa’s regional and national efforts to combat the continued flow of plastics into its seas.

Global Comparisons

The Middle East and North Africa’s residents, on average, contribute the most plastic waste per person to their seas of any region in the world.