The pollution of oceans with plastic litter, discarded nylon fishing nets and eco-toxic microbeads is well known as one of the great scourges of the modern age ― not just entangling and choking endangered, charismatic species like sea turtles, dolphins and even great whales, but attracting long-lived organic pollutants that end up permeating the entire marine food chain, right up to the fish on our plates.
Numerous international and regional treaties, conventions and other agreements impose binding obligations on countries to protect the oceans, their wildlife and their ecosystems from pollution. That includes pollution originating on land, like plastic bottles, shopping bags, crisp packets, cigarette lighters and cellophane wrappers.
But there is one great problem with international law: The commitments may be solemn and legally binding, but they are hard to uphold. There is no police force or prosecutor tasked with their enforcement. Only state parties to a treaty have the power to raise disputes against other parties, and they are generally reluctant to do so, for understandable reasons. They do not wish to disrupt harmonious diplomatic relations with their neighbors; they may fear the potential costs; and few governments are so perfect themselves as to have no worry of being at the receiving end of similar treatment.
As a result, states that disregard their legal obligations to protect the marine environment from ocean plastic and other assaults are not quaking in their boots. Even though they could in principle be hauled up before the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea, which has the power to apply substantial penalties, costs and reparations against offending parties, they see no immediate prospect that his might actually happen. And they are almost certainly right
ULLSTEIN BILD VIA GETTY IMAGES
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