Papers

20 results
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Article Tier 2

Economic and International Legal Aspects of the Protection of the Marine Environment from Pollution

This review examines the economic and international legal frameworks governing protection of the marine environment from pollution, focusing on areas beyond national sovereignty where enforcement of sustainable development goals remains challenging. The authors analyzed how international law approaches marine pollution control across states with varying national-level regulatory capacities.

2025 Baltic Journal of Economic Studies
Article Tier 2

An International Legal Framework for Marine Plastics Pollution

This legal analysis reviews the current international framework for regulating marine plastics and identifies significant gaps and inconsistencies across treaties and agreements. The chapter argues that stronger, more unified global legal instruments are needed to effectively reduce plastic pollution in the world's oceans.

2023 Cambridge University Press eBooks 2 citations
Article Tier 2

International Law and Regulation of Marine Microplastics: Current Situation, Problems, and Development

This study evaluated the current international legal framework governing marine microplastic pollution and identified significant gaps in regulatory coverage. Researchers found that existing global and regional legal instruments lack the specificity and enforcement mechanisms needed to effectively address microplastic contamination. The study offers recommendations for strengthening international law to better regulate the sources and impacts of marine microplastic pollution.

2024 Sustainability 11 citations
Article Tier 2

International Legal Systems in Tackling the Marine Plastic Pollution: A Critical Analysis of UNCLOS and MARPOL

This legal analysis examines how two major international agreements, UNCLOS and MARPOL, address marine plastic pollution and identifies significant gaps in their ability to reduce it. The existing laws lack enforceable requirements for reducing land-based plastic waste and have uneven enforcement of rules for ship-based discharges. The paper proposes strengthening international law to promote a circular economy approach, which matters because marine plastic breaks down into microplastics that enter the seafood supply.

2025 Water 9 citations
Article Tier 2

Legal Approaches to Reduce Plastic Marine Pollution: Challenges and Global Governance

This review examined legal approaches to reducing marine plastic pollution and found that while international frameworks like the International Maritime Organization's MARPOL Annex V and regional agreements provide useful foundations, significant governance gaps and enforcement challenges remain in addressing the global scale of marine plastic contamination.

2021 ANNALS OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND PERSPECTIVE 32 citations
Article Tier 2

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea - still relevant to protection of the marine environment?

This chapter evaluates whether the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) remains a useful tool for protecting the marine environment, including from plastic pollution. The author argues that UNCLOS has significant gaps when applied to modern pollution threats. Strengthening or supplementing UNCLOS with new agreements may be necessary to address marine plastic pollution effectively.

2023 Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Building a Platform for the Future: the Relationship of the Expected New Agreement for Marine Biodiversity in Areas beyond National Jurisdiction and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

This legal analysis examines the relationship between an expected new international agreement on marine biodiversity and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. While focused on governance rather than microplastics, international frameworks are relevant to regulating plastic pollution in international waters.

2019 Ocean Yearbook Online 41 citations
Article Tier 2

Marine Plastic Monitoring, Assessment, and Policy

This review covers the current state of marine plastic monitoring systems, assessment frameworks, and policy instruments globally, examining data collection methods, international agreements, and gaps in enforcement. The authors highlight that inconsistent monitoring protocols and lack of binding global treaty mechanisms remain critical barriers to effective marine plastic governance.

2025
Article Tier 2

Legal Analysis of the Prevention of Marine Microplastics Pollution

This legal analysis examines international law frameworks governing marine microplastic pollution prevention, identifying obstacles including enforcement difficulties, weak jurisdictional clarity, and insufficient coordination among existing treaty regimes, while noting growing attention to microplastics in UN General Assembly resolutions and calling for stronger multilateral legal mechanisms.

2022 Law and Economy
Article Tier 2

Environmental legislation analysis improvement approach of global marine plastic pollution from the perspective of holistic system view

This review analyzes international laws and regulations aimed at preventing marine plastic pollution, from United Nations conventions to individual country legislation. The authors find that current legal frameworks are fragmented and fail to address the full scope of the problem, including microplastics entering human bloodstreams through the food chain. They propose a comprehensive Marine Plastics Convention that emphasizes environmental justice and stricter risk prevention measures.

2024 Frontiers in Marine Science 10 citations
Article Tier 2

An Examination of Evolving Concerns, Obstacles, and Prospects in Relation to Pollution in the Marine Environment

This review examines international and national regulatory frameworks for marine pollution, finding that laws are often reactive — triggered only after environmental disasters — and inadequate for addressing diffuse threats like microplastic contamination. The authors argue that current legal tools need modernization and stronger enforcement to keep pace with emerging pollutants. This is relevant context for understanding why microplastic regulation lags far behind scientific evidence of harm.

2023 Pakistan Journal of Criminal Justice 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Regulation, Legislation and Policy—An International Perspective

This review examines international regulatory frameworks for marine plastic pollution under UNCLOS and related agreements, analyzing the obligations of national governments to prevent, reduce, and control marine pollution and the challenges of implementation.

2023 Springer textbooks in earth sciences, geography and environment 4 citations
Article Tier 2

The Role of MARPOL in Reducing Microplastic Pollution: Implications for Marine Species Health

This paper assessed the effectiveness of MARPOL (the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships) in reducing marine microplastic pollution, examining how ship-sourced plastic waste regulations are implemented and enforced. It found significant compliance gaps and called for stronger international mechanisms.

2024 Engineering Daily Book Series.
Article Tier 2

Penanggulangan Pencemaran Sampah Plastik Di Laut Berdasarkan Hukum Internasional

This Indonesian-language paper reviews international law frameworks for addressing marine plastic pollution, noting that approximately 80% of solid marine debris is plastic. The study discusses how international legal instruments can be strengthened to address the management of plastic waste that becomes marine microplastics.

2020 Jurnal IUS Kajian Hukum dan Keadilan 26 citations
Article Tier 2

Liability and Compensation for Marine Plastic Pollution: Conceptual Issues and Possible Ways Forward

This paper reviews international legal frameworks for holding polluters liable for marine plastic pollution, finding that existing liability mechanisms are largely inadequate. Stronger international legal tools would create financial incentives for companies to reduce plastic waste before it reaches the ocean.

2020 AJIL Unbound 8 citations
Article Tier 2

International Water Law’s Role in Addressing the Problem of Marine Plastic Pollution: A Vital Piece in a Complex Puzzle!

This legal analysis examined the role of international water law in addressing marine plastic pollution, arguing that existing water governance frameworks have largely overlooked plastics as a water resource management problem. The author advocates for integrating plastic pollution controls into international water law instruments.

2022 Chinese Journal of Environmental Law 14 citations
Article Tier 2

Why we need an international agreement on marine plastic pollution

This commentary argues for the establishment of an international agreement to address marine plastic pollution, noting that plastic debris including microplastics is a pervasive global threat to marine biodiversity, ecosystem services, and potentially human health. The authors highlight that existing regulatory frameworks are insufficient to manage the transboundary nature of the problem. The study calls for measurable reduction targets and coordinated international action to curb the flow of plastic into the world's oceans.

2017 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 275 citations
Article Tier 2

Dilemma in global governance of marine plastic pollution and regulatory coordination: convention reconstruction via integrated international law

This legal analysis examined fragmented international governance of marine plastic pollution across 17 instruments including UNCLOS, MARPOL, and regional conventions, identifying a gap between soft law priorities and binding enforcement for microplastics. The authors proposed an integrated umbrella convention framework with specialized protocols to align the Global Plastic Treaty with existing agreements and establish enforceable plastic production caps.

2025 Frontiers in Marine Science 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Humanity is being driven ashore : a juridical and political essay on marine plastic pollution

This essay examines the legal and political dimensions of marine plastic pollution, reviewing international agreements and their limitations in curbing the flow of plastic waste into oceans. It argues that stronger global governance frameworks are needed to protect marine environments from plastic contamination.

2019 Portuguese National Funding Agency for Science, Research and Technology (RCAAP Project by FCT)
Article Tier 2

International treaties, national laws, and best legal practices for addressing plastic pollution in the oceans

This thesis examines plastic pollution in the world's oceans through the lens of international treaties, national laws, and social dynamics, evaluating the effectiveness of existing legal frameworks and best practices for addressing the growing crisis of marine plastic contamination.

2025