THE proliferation of single-use plastic around the world is accelerating climate change and should be urgently halted. It is a known fact that plastic contributes to greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of its lifecycle, from its production to its refining and the way it is managed as a waste product.

Mr Mikhail B. Amsterdam, Fisheries Officer attached to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries Department, a double master’s degree holder, has in a recent presentation on the researched topic `Investigating the Application of Integrated Marine Planning and Management in CARICOM and the wider Caribbean Region’, listed conservation, invasive species, tourism, territorial disputes. fisheries management and climate change, as the major the major challenges facing the fisheries industry.

According to him, the status of implementation for single use plastic and Styrofoam ban across the region as of May, 2019 and which was reported by UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme., states that plastic items are not limited to packaging but as included consumer products such as straws, spoons and boxes used at the retail level. Only a small amount of plastic items are allowed to be imported by companies in cold storage or fresh produce packaging, the repost stated..

In 2010, the Protocol Concerning Pollution from Land-Based Sources and Activities (LBS Protocol) which was tabled in 1999, was officially signed into force by 16 contracting parities. To date of 34 countries, only two Venezuela and Brazil, have not signed on, even though there are concerns that the activities of partied nations may have trans-boundary impacts.

According to the LBS Protocol, each signatory is required to create action plans for dealing within land seas interface impacts, both at the local and regional level by adopting management approaches such as Integrated Coastal Zone Management.
This protocol is considered the most significant of its kind having regional influence and incorporates wastewater (sewage), agricultural pollution and dumping from coastal enterprises. Each signatory has a different implementation date depending on their capacity and risk of Pollution, Amsterdam said.

Alluding to the Caribbean Regional Action Plan for Marine Litter (RAPMaLI), it was noted that the Caribbean is widely affected by marine litter; plastics contribute to over 50 per cent of the total garbage generated and enter the oceans from land sources. The Caribbean is the second most plastic-contaminated sea in the world after the Mediterranean Sea.

This plastic pollution has far reaching implications for marine life and ecosystems and directly affects the tourism sector which depends on the aesthetics of the region and this pollution diminishes the region’s “untouched beauty”. In order to counteract this this scourge CARICOM nations have joined the regional action plan for marine litter implementing actions which area aimed to reduce the amount of plastic in the region and thus reducing the impacts on the marine environment.

The investigation findings indicate that CARICOM and the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR) considers Climate Change, Fisheries Management, territorial disputes, tourism, invasive species and conservation, the six main drivers which promote the adoption of integrated marine planning and management practices in the region.

Further, Amsterdam said that the research reflects that international obligations, blue economic development, resource loss and conflict resolution as the underlying reasons for political/strategic importance being placed on marine management, which is a key distinction when we consider genuine stewardship verses political correctness.

CARICOM has implemented several regional projects, policies and management groups aimed at ensuring collaborative management and shared responsibility. The Cartagena convention protocols on oil spill, land based sources and special wildlife protected areas are amongst the initiatives reviewed for their regional coverage and impact on regional integrated marine management.

The European Union’ (EU) approach and policy milestones achieved as part of its integrated maritime management, were identified and used to create insights on how CARICOM could adopt a similar regional management policy like the EU’s Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) which supports the European maritime economy and Protection of the EU maritime environment through cross cutting tools, such as the MSP directive and MSPF.

It was determined that CARICOM needs to outline a key strategic direction, identify priority areas for integration and establish robust governance institutions, in order to ensure effective implementation of a regional integrated marine planning and management approach

Here in Guyana, the government has restated its dedication to the initiative to initiative to gradually phase out the use of single-use plastic containers by the year 2021.That policy position has been in the pipeline even before the Coalition took office. Work has started on sensitising the population about the vast diversity of marine life globally; its crucial importance to human development and the importance of prudent management of marine resources for future generations. There is need to impose such a ban since as much as 40 percent of oceans are tremendously affected by pollution, with an estimated eight million metric tonnes of plastic waste entering the world’s oceans annually.

Guyana has declared its intention to drive advancement forward along an environmentally sustainable, or ‘green’ trajectory of development and, the single-use containers such as non-returnable plastic bottles in which drinks are sold. and wanton disposal of non-biodegradable pollutants such as plastic bags is inconsistent with a ‘green’ development philosophy. The most harmful offender may be the single-use “black bags” used in most supermarkets and shops to deliver goods to customers.

Those bags which are made of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) plastic do not biodegrade, although they may break down. Such chemical breakdown releases its constituent components, including toxic chemical contaminants into the air, land, and water.

With the proposed total ban on single-use plastic containers in 2021, Guyana will join several countries which have already implemented similar initiatives.