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The Ethics of Permanent Fragmentation: Microplastics, Slow Violence, and the Problem of Unowned Residue
Summary
This book chapter examined Egypt's circular blue economy strategy and its implications for Mediterranean cooperation on marine plastic pollution management. The analysis addressed governance gaps and opportunities for regional collaboration on plastic waste reduction, recycling infrastructure, and marine debris monitoring in the eastern Mediterranean.
Microplastics are "zombie matter"—technological residues defying traditional waste categories. This paper critiques environmental ethics and Extended Producer Responsibility for ignoring the "inverse trajectory of power," where fragmentation increases toxicity. Synthesizing "slow violence," "hyperobjects," and "phenomenology," I propose "The Ethics of Permanent Fragmentation." I argue microplastics are "unowned residue" escaping liability while colonizing the biosphere. Challenging the "thermodynamic blindness" of circular economies, I demonstrate that legal frameworks fail matter that multiplies through division. I advocate for a "trans-scalar ethics" acknowledging responsibility for the Plasticene’s molecular persistence.