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Plastic litter in the sea
Summary
A 2013 workshop of European scientists reviewed current knowledge on plastic litter in the sea and issued a set of agreed statements for policymakers, concluding that enough is known to justify regulatory action. The experts identified key remaining research needs while emphasizing that the existing evidence base already warrants strong policy responses to ocean plastic pollution.
On June 2013 a workshop at the University of Siena (Italy) was organized to review current knowledge and to clarify what is known, and what remains to be investigated, concerning plastic litter in the sea. The content of the workshop was designed to contribute further to the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) following an inaugural workshop in 2012. Here we report a number of statements relevant to policymakers and scientists that was overwhelming agreement from the participants. Many might view this as already providing sufficient grounds for policy action. At the very least, this early warning of the problems that lie ahead should be taken seriously, and serve as a stimulus for further research.