Plastics in the Aquatic Environment - Part II: Stakeholders' Role Against Pollution (The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry 112)

This book reviews comprehensively the opportunities and responsibilities of science, society and politics to combat plastic pollution in marine and freshwaters. It provides insights on what information is needed, and from whom, and it outlines policies proposed by various institutions including OSPAR, HELCOM and the European Union. Plastic waste has become a global threat to the aquatic environment that does not stop at country borders. Meanwhile, there are many efforts in science, industry, commerce and governments to tackle the problem worldwide. School education, NGO public actions, voluntary trade reduction measures, governmental management options and governmental regulatory actions are part of the portfolio of efforts to deal with the problem. Together with the companion volume __Plastics in the Aquatic Environment - Part I: Current Status and Challenges__, it provides scientists, policymakers and environmental managers with essential reference information on how this problem is being solved, what challenges and barriers are expected and how they can be overcome. Series Preface 7 Contents 9 Introductory Remarks on the Role of Stakeholders in Addressing Plastic Pollution of the Aquatic Environment 11 1 Introduction 12 2 Overview of This Volume 13 3 Discussion 19 References 20 Human Perceptions and Behaviour Determine Aquatic Plastic Pollution 22 1 Plastic Pollution and the Human Dimension: Introduction 23 2 Plastic as a System and the Role of Human Decisions and Behaviours 24 3 Mechanisms of Change 26 4 Behaviour 30 4.1 Predictors of Behaviour 30 4.2 Quantifying Behaviour 31 4.3 Behaviour Change Interventions 32 4.4 Clean-Up Initiatives that Involve Citizens and Other Stakeholders 33 4.5 When Is an Intervention a Behaviour Change Intervention? 34 5 Media Reporting, Concern and Risk Perception 34 6 Risk Perception and Communication: Broader Principles 36 7 International Dimension 38 8 Challenges 39 9 Research Gaps 40 10 Summary and Conclusions 42 References 43 Society Role in the Reduction of Plastic Pollution 48 1 The Global Dimension of Plastic Pollution 49 2 Why Do We Need to Reduce Plastic Pollution? 51 3 Role of Research and Education 55 3.1 Research 55 3.2 Education 57 3.3 Innovation 60 4 Role of the Plastic Industry 62 5 Role of NGOs and the General Public 64 6 Communication and Awareness Raising 67 7 Conclusions: The Way Ahead 69 References 70 Education Against Plastic Pollution: Current Approaches and Best Practices 75 1 Introduction 76 2 Types of Education 78 3 Formal Education Initiatives to Tackle Plastic Pollution 79 3.1 Environmental Education According to A Strategy for Sustainable Living 79 3.2 Programs for Primary and Secondary Education Levels 79 3.2.1 School Curricula and Educational Packages on Preventing Plastic Pollution 79 3.2.2 Governmental Educational Initiatives on Plastic Pollution 84 3.3 Tertiary Level of Education 87 4 Non-formal Educational Programs and Tools to Tackle Plastic Pollution 91 4.1 Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) 91 4.2 Other Open Access Training Opportunities 93 4.3 Sustainability Games 95 4.4 Mobile Exhibitions 97 5 Summary and Conclusions 98 References 100 Stakeholder Analysis in Solving the Problem of Accumulation of Plastics in Surface Waters of Protected Areas 102 1 Introduction 103 2 Materials and Methods 106 3 Results and Discussion 112 3.1 Presentation of the Views of Stakeholders per Respondent Groups 112 3.1.1 Domestic and Foreign Visitors 112 3.1.2 Respondent Groups Based on Monthly Incomes 113 3.1.3 Employees of the Communal and Water Management Companies 116 3.1.4 Journalists 117 3.1.5 Respondents Who Attended the Education Program 118 3.2 Presentation of the Views of All Stakeholders 121 4 Conclusions 124 References 124 The Role of Policy in Tackling Plastic Waste in the Aquatic Environment 126 1 Introduction 127 2 EU Political Action on Plastics 129 3 Instruments 131 3.1 Regulations 132 3.2 Market-Based Instruments 133 3.2.1 Taxes and Fees 133 3.2.2 Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) 134 3.3 Financing and Investment 136 3.3.1 Waste Management Infrastructure 136 3.3.2 Green Public Procurement 137 3.4 Information and Voluntary 138 3.4.1 Voluntary Commitments 138 3.4.2 Information Tools 139 4 Conclusion 140 References 141 Monitoring Approaches for Marine Litter in the European Sea Basins 146 1 Introduction 148 2 The Marine Strategy Framework Directive: Descriptor 10 - Marine Litter 149 3 Regional Sea Conventions 153 4 Marine Litter Monitoring Elements in the European Sea Basins 156 5 Summary and Conclusions 160 References 161 Plastics in the Austrian Stretch of the Danube River: From Environmental Data to Action Plans at the Local, National, and Inte... 164 1 Introduction 165 2 The Role of Public Authorities 166 3 Conclusions 168 References 169 Plastics in Freshwater: A New Challenge for the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR)? 170 1 Introduction 171 2 The International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) 173 3 Current Knowledge of Contamination with Plastics in the Rhine 174 4 Initiatives in the Countries in the Rhine Catchment 176 5 Initiatives on the International Level 178 6 Plastics as a New Topic for the ICPR? 180 7 Conclusions 182 References 183 Five Years Since the 2013 HELCOM Ministerial Declaration 186 1 HELCOM Commitments on Marine Litter 187 2 Marine Litter Monitoring 189 3 Assessment of Marine Litter in the Baltic Sea 193 4 Implementing the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter 194 5 HELCOM ́s Role Outside the Baltic Sea Region 205 5.1 United Nations 205 5.2 European Regional Seas Conventions 206 5.3 European Union 206 6 Next Critical Date: 2021 207 References 208 Combating Marine Plastics: The Role of Finance and Technical Assistance by Development Finance Institutions 212 1 Background 213 1.1 What Are DFIs? 213 1.2 What Do DFIs Do 214 2 Multilateral DFI Work on Marine Plastics in Sovereign Finance and Technical Assistance 215 2.1 Sovereign Finance 215 2.2 Sovereign Technical Assistance 218 3 DFI Support for Private Efforts on Marine Plastics 219 3.1 DFI Support for Private Finance 219 3.2 DFI Support for Private Sector-Related Technical Assistance 220 4 The Way Forward 220 4.1 Mainstreaming 221 4.1.1 Mainstreaming Inside DFIs 221 4.1.2 Mainstreaming into Existing DFI Coordination Mechanisms 222 4.2 Synergetic Approaches 222 4.3 Collaboration with Other Bodies 222 4.3.1 Global Intergovernmental Bodies 222 4.3.2 Regional Intergovernmental Bodies 223 4.3.3 Industry Initiatives 223 5 Conclusion 224 References 225 The Current State of Law on Plastic Pollution in Mexico and a View Toward the Future 227 1 Introduction 228 2 Part One: Plastic Waste in Mexico: The Problem and Current Legislative Frameworks 230 2.1 Plastic Waste in Aquatic Environments 230 2.2 Overview of Relevant Mexican Legal Structures to Address Plastic in Waterways 231 2.2.1 Constitution 232 2.2.2 International Conventions or Treaties 232 2.2.3 Federal Legislation 233 2.2.4 Relevant Federal Regulatory Authorities in Mexico 234 2.2.5 Mexican Official Norms (NOMs) and Voluntary Guidelines (NMX) Regarding Plastics 234 2.2.6 State Legislation Governing Plastics 236 2.3 Conclusions About Mexico ́s Legal Framework 242 3 Part Two: Framing Future Legal Structures for Plastics in Mexico 244 3.1 Introduction 244 3.2 When Plastic Is Not Pollution 244 3.3 Plastic Is Pollution 246 3.4 Country-Level Legislative Actions 246 3.5 Incentives to Participate in Solutions 247 3.6 Design for the Future 249 3.7 Establishing Priorities Through a Plastic Hierarchy 253 3.8 Social and Economic Benefits from Rethinking Plastics 254 4 Conclusion 255 References 256 The Problem of Microplastics and Regulatory Strategies in Italy 261 1 Introduction 262 2 Legislation and Regulation About Plastics 263 2.1 European Strategies 263 2.2 Italian Regulation 266 3 Monitoring MPs in Freshwater Environments: Major Issues and Short Overview of Methodological Approaches 268 4 Monitoring Microplastics in River Ofanto 271 4.1 Methodological Approach 271 4.1.1 Step One: Experimental Design 271 4.1.2 Step Two: Laboratory Preparation of Samples 272 4.1.3 Step Three: Quality Assurance and Quality Control 276 5 MICROPLASMA Project 277 6 Conclusions 278 References 279 Concluding Remarks on the Role of Stakeholders in Addressing Plastic Pollution of the Aquatic Environment 283 1 Introduction 284 2 Overview of This Volume 285 3 Discussion 289 References 291