Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Challenges for Regulation and Management of Microplastic in Environment and Proposed Changes

This review examines failures in international law and national regulations to adequately address microplastic pollution in water bodies, arguing that recent treaty negotiations have been insufficient and proposing regulatory changes to better manage microplastics in the environment.

2025
Article Tier 2

Crafting a global plastics treaty

This book chapter critically analyzes international negotiations toward a global plastics treaty, noting that the UN Environmental Assembly has been working toward a legally binding instrument since 2014. A strong global plastics treaty is considered essential for halting the growing accumulation of microplastics throughout the environment.

2023 Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks
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

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

Addressing Microplastic Pollution via the Global Plastic Treaty

This paper discusses the role of the global plastic treaty in addressing microplastic pollution, evaluating policy mechanisms, international governance challenges, and the scientific evidence needed to support binding reduction targets.

2024 SPIRE - Sciences Po Institutional REpository 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Global Plastic Pollution and International Legal and Policy Responses

This Japanese legal review examines international efforts to create a binding treaty to end plastic pollution, analyzing what elements are needed based on experience with prior environmental agreements. The paper is particularly relevant given the ongoing United Nations negotiations toward a global plastics treaty.

2023 Material Cycles and Waste Management Research
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

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

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

Fish Don't Litter in Your House: Is International Law the Solution to the Plastic Pollution Problem?

This legal analysis examines whether existing international law is adequate to address ocean plastic pollution, critiquing current binding and non-binding environmental agreements and proposing improvements. Stronger international legal frameworks are seen as essential for reducing the global plastic waste that breaks down into microplastics in the world's oceans.

2020 Pace international law review 3 citations
Article Tier 2

Addressing Microplastics in a Global Agreement on Plastic Pollution

This report examines how microplastics could be addressed under a proposed global agreement to end plastic pollution, analyzing existing regional and national regulatory measures and proposing potential measures and modalities for a science-policy interface on microplastic pollution. Researchers found that different measures are required to address various sources and pathways of microplastics, and drew lessons from existing multilateral environmental agreements to inform negotiations in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee.

2022 TemaNord 14 citations
Review Tier 2

Microplastics: A Review of Policies and Responses

This critical review assembled current knowledge on policies and regulatory responses to plastic pollution globally, including legislative measures, economic instruments, and voluntary commitments. The authors identify a gap between scientific evidence and policy action and call for stronger, more coordinated international governance of plastic pollution.

2022 Microplastics 79 citations
Article Tier 2

Review of Current Policies on Plastic Discharge and Policy Implications on Microplastic Reduction

Researchers reviewed current global policies addressing plastic discharge and assessed their implications for reducing microplastic pollution. The study highlights the urgency of the problem as outlined by UNEP reports and evaluates how existing regulatory frameworks could be strengthened to more effectively curb microplastic contamination.

2025 1 citations
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

The Prospects of an International Treaty on Plastic Pollution

This analysis examines the proposed elements of a legally binding international treaty on plastic pollution, reviewing negotiations launched by the UN Environment Assembly in March 2022 and outlining the key legal and governance challenges in developing a comprehensive global plastics agreement.

2022 The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law 25 citations
Article Tier 2

From micro to macro: legal tools for combating plastic pollution at national, EU, and international levels

Researchers analyzed how laws at the national, European Union, and international levels have evolved to address microplastic pollution, tracing the shift from voluntary guidelines to binding rules like the EU's 2023 restriction on synthetic microparticles. The review identifies ongoing challenges — including inconsistent definitions and weak enforcement — and calls for stronger global governance to close the legal gaps.

2026 Environmental Sciences Europe
Article Tier 2

Legislation and Policy on Pollution Prevention and the Control of Marine Microplastics

This review analyses international legislation and policies targeting marine microplastic pollution, finding that most existing regulations focus narrowly on microbeads while failing to address other microplastic types, and identifies three systemic dilemmas that impede more comprehensive regulatory frameworks.

2022 Water 33 citations
Article Tier 2

The Role of Legislation, Regulatory Initiatives and Guidelines on the Control of Plastic Pollution

This review examines existing plastic pollution regulations globally, finding that despite many proposals and national bans, the overall effectiveness of legislation is unclear and most measures focus narrowly on marine plastics or single-use items. The authors argue that laws often lag behind science and face practical limitations given how deeply embedded plastics are in daily life.

2020 Frontiers in Environmental Science 220 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

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

Strengthen the Global Science and Knowledge Base to Reduce Marine Plastic Pollution

This paper argues for strengthening the science and knowledge base to inform a potential global agreement on plastic pollution, calling for a new scientific advisory mechanism to support international negotiations. A stronger evidence base on microplastic sources, impacts, and solutions is seen as critical to achieving effective global policy.

2021 TemaNord 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Combating plastic pollution in international law: lex lata and lex ferenda

This paper examines the current state of international law addressing plastic pollution, analyzing both existing legal frameworks and proposed future regulations. The study highlights that global plastic production has surged to 390 million tons annually with only 9% recycled, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive international treaty.

2024 Moscow Journal of International Law 2 citations
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
Article Tier 2

On the Challenge of Plastic Wastes and Litter in Oceans: Some Policy Reflections

This policy analysis discusses the growing crisis of plastic litter in the world's oceans, reviewing international agreements and national policies aimed at reducing ocean plastic pollution. The authors argue that current policy efforts fall far short of what is needed and propose stronger global governance frameworks.

2021 Environmental Policy and Law