Ocean plastics: not just a pollution crisis, but a governance one

In 2016, headlines proclaimed that by 2050, plastic in the ocean could outweigh fish. The science behind this claim is weak - estimating biomass is notoriously difficult - but the message is no less important. The real issue isn’t a race between fish and plastic. It’s the failure of governments, industries and global systems to prevent known harm.

At the 2025 UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), governments once again pledged action on marine pollution. But critics, including ClientEarth, argue that the outcomes are far from enough. Legal enforcement is minimal. Marine Protected Areas are often “protected” by so called paper parks. Bottom trawling continues inside MPAs across Europe, and no legally binding global ban on plastic dumping or overproduction exists.

Despite producing over 460 million tonnes of plastic each year (OECD, 2022), the world recycles only a small fraction of under 10%. Most of the waste - roughly 353 million tonnes annually - becomes mismanaged and too often exported to lower income countries, especially in areas where waste infrastructure can’t keep up with urban development and expansion.

The consequences are predictable: ecosystems collapse, species die and microplastics contaminate nearly every seafood sample tested and most of human organs and cells. Trade loopholes allow high-income countries to export their plastic waste to lower-income countries, many of which lack the infrastructure to manage it safely. 

Plastic pollution is a slow-moving disaster that reflects deeper problems: a lack of regulation, limited corporate awareness, unequal accountability, and political inertia. Until there are preventative and enforceable laws, backed by funding and international cooperation, this crisis will continue.

The problem isn’t floating bottles - it’s a complete lack of responsibility and governance.

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For more information contact: info@scarabtrust.org.uk

Images: missing politicians - Image from Magnific (ST ref: 1365)

school of fish in plastic - Photo by Naja Bertolt Jensen (ST ref: 1181)

Thanks to Frédérique Mongodin from Seas at Risk for editorial support.