News

For #WorldEnvironment Day, this video clip by UN Environment Programme shines the spotlight on a GPML member, working to keep Kenya's coastline clean.

The Watamu Marine Association has developed a business model that brings together local communities and the tourism industry to collect, repurpose and recycle plastic waste. This small-scale circular economy has big potential and can be replicated anywhere in the world there is a coastal tourism industry, restoring coastlines and addressing the global issue of marine litter.

18-21 May, 2021

The Ocean Visions 2021 Summit, “Towards a Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions” will bring together a multi-sector community of researchers, innovators, decision-makers, funders, and more to develop roadmaps for solving great ocean challenges including ocean-based solutions to climate, equitable coastal solutions strategies for resilience and adaptation, marine circular economies, ocean & human health, and how to transform research from academia into sustainable businesses. ​

1-4 June, 2021

Within a short span of time, the COVID-19 pandemic has engulfed the entire world, affecting more than 206 countries and territories. In the healthcare sector, the caseload of patients surged due to the pandemic, leading to increased production of hazardous healthcare waste for countries with or without adequate medical waste management systems.

Bangkok, 20 April 2021 – The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today announced that it is working to fight plastic pollution using citizen science and machine learning, with technical advisory support from Google. With Google’s support, UNEP will create a new machine learning model that reveals a more detailed and accurate view of plastic pollution in the Mekong River.

Hosted by the UNEP MGCY Marine Litter and Microplastic Working group, in collaboration with the GPML, our team dives into the topic of marine litter monitoring and the GPML Digital Platform.

Watch here.

SAVE THE DATE

20 April 14–15PM CEST on Zoom

Launch of the Nordic Report “Strengthening the Global Science and Knowledge Base to Reduce (Marine) Plastic Pollution”

As part of their efforts to support the global policy discussions on a new global agreement to combat plastic pollution, the Nordic Council of Environment and Climate Ministers commissioned a report, to explore how to strengthen the science and knowledge base and to ensure evidence based policy-making.

The first of our 2021 GPML Webinar Series was hosted by our Northwest Pacific (NOWPAP) Regional Node and looked at ‘Addressing Marine Litter in the Northwest Pacific Region’. The GPML also provided an update on the proof of concept for the GPML Digital Platform Data Hub and next steps for Phase II.

Save the Oceans from Marine Plastic Litter: A Global Calling

Join us for a webinar on March 23, 2021 at 7:00 PM JST/10:00 AM GMT/5:00 AM CDT.

The Flipflopi, a dhow made from recycled plastic, has set sail on its second voyage, taking to riverine communities in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya to highlight the importance of reversing the damage of plastic pollution to communities that depend on Lake Victoria.

Abidjan Convention workshops

From March 2 to May 13, 2021, twice a week, always at 13:00 GMT

World’s first recycled plastic sailing dhow will promote circular solutions and call for an end to unnecessary single-use plastic in the region  The Lake Victoria expedition - setting sail on 4th March - is promoting regional collaboration to address plastic pollution  Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest freshwater lake, is facing a myriad of environmental and social challenges that could impact t

Washington, D.C., 3 March 2021–The Mississippi River Plastic Pollution Initiative was launched today at the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative’s ninth annual Capitol Meeting, where mayors representing over 100 communities along the river corridor are convenin

Nairobi, 02 March 2021 – New, pivotal guidance published today by the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) provides a market-first, practical toolkit for financial institutions to take immediate action on their lending, investment and underwriting activities which negatively impact ocean health.

The Third Global Session, UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment was held 18 to 20 February 2021.

The GPML co-hosted a session on Managing Risk: Marine Litter and Microplastics Mitigation and Prevention.

Ocean Action for Sustainability – Building a global vision to tackle plastic pollution

An open high-level event hosted by the Government of Kenya and UNEP in the lead-up to UNEA

This event took place on 17 February, 2021.

The Third Global Session, UN Science-Policy-Business Forum on the Environment took place 18 to 20 February 2021.

Kenya is emerging as a leader in the fight against plastic pollution and is among the first countries in East Africa to limit single-use plastics and sign the Clean Seas initiative to rid waterways of plastic waste.

Understanding the State of the Ocean: a Global Manual on Measuring SDG 14.1.1, SDG 14.2.1, SDG 14.5.1, and the GPML Digital Platform Phase 1 presentation

Watch the recording here. 

Join this webinar on "Building a Strategic Plan to Monitor and Assess Marine Litter: Lessons Learned” Date: Tuesday 9 February, 2021

This year sees the launch of the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development – a new report on coral reef restoration kick starts both.

The UK National Oceanography Centre (NOC), has launched a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Addressing Marine Ecosystems and Food Security. In this online course, you will journey to the Western Indian Ocean alongside experts at the UK’s National Oceanography Centre to learn how they measure and monitor the oceans in order to better protect them.

In October 2020, Australian scientists found a detached coral reef skyscraper on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef—nearly 500 meters tall and 1.5 kilometres wide—  that exceeds the height of the Eiffel Tower

In 2014, coral reefs around the world turned a pallid white from heat stress. The bleaching began in the Pacific and rapidly spread across the Indian and Atlantic oceans. The so-called Third Global Bleaching Event lasted for 36 months, marking the longest, most pervasive and destructive coral bleaching incident ever recorded.

Though over now, the world’s reefs remain in hot water.

GPML Digital Platform

Towards a digital multi-stakeholder platform for marine litter and microplastics

 

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