Experts call for action on Atlantic plastic pollution

Scientists and specialists from around the world called for stronger action on marine plastic pollution at the Atlantic Plastics 2026 conference in Harpa last week, mbl.is reported.

The conference examined the sources and spread of plastic across the Atlantic, from north to south, its effects on marine life and ways to reduce pollution. It was the third international conference on marine plastic pollution organised by Icelandic authorities, and drew nearly 300 attendees.

The event was organised in cooperation with ministries and agencies in South Africa, Brazil and Morocco, as well as the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

Magnús Jóhannesson, chair of the conference’s scientific committee and a former executive secretary of the Arctic Council secretariat, said the conference had gone very well. Its aim, he said, was to assess whether new scientific information could help advance a legally binding international agreement on action against plastic pollution.

Iceland’s first international conference on the issue was held in 2021, during the country’s chairmanship of the Arctic Council. The UN Environment Programme began work towards an agreement in 2022, with a deal initially expected within two years. The next meeting on the agreement is scheduled for March.

Magnús said an estimated 18 million to 21 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean each year.