Thursday June 5, 2025
CGTN —
Pacific Island nations are among the world’s most affected by marine plastic pollution – despite contributing little to the problem themselves.
Plastic debris, carried by powerful ocean currents, has been washing ashore on the coasts of these islands in increasing volumes, threatening fragile ecosystems, local fisheries and public health. Governments, international organizations and scientists – including Chinese researchers – are now working together to address the crisis at its source.
Remote nations, global problem
Although most plastic waste is produced in industrialized countries, powerful currents in the Pacific Ocean transport large volumes of it to the South Pacific, making remote island nations the unintended recipients of a global pollution crisis. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, more than 11 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year – a figure projected to nearly triple by 2040 without urgent intervention – per its report in 2021. Much of this waste accumulates in large marine debris zones, such as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, before dispersing toward smaller island ecosystems.