Legal Lamination to Transboundary Movement of Plastic Pollutants

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Subedi, Surya P.^{a; *} | Pandey, Amrisha^b

Affiliations: [a] Professor of International Law, University of Leeds, UK | [b] Gujarat Maritime University, Gujarat, India

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: The menace caused by plastic waste is one of the biggest challenges the world is facing today. It is established that plastic pollution and its accumulation in the world ocean is one of the greatest threats exacerbating all three planetary existential threats identified by the UN. The presence of plastic pollutants in the marine environment is due to its transboundary and cross-continental movement. Therefore, after five decades of the Stockholm conference, it seems necessary to explore how far the principles and objectives of the Stockholm Declaration can be utilized to accommodate the rising concerns and to address the existing environmental crises, including the plastic pollution. There is a need to develop a cooperative scheme that enables the international community of States to come together and find a solution using the expertise of the Basel Convention. Such an initiative –a sort of alliance of states, both members and non-member States to the Convention - could also pave the way for similar collaboration among States to tackle the issues associated with plastic and other forms of pollution.

Keywords: Plastic pollution, planetary existential threats, Stockholm Declaration, Basel Convention, Cooperative Approach, Alliance of members and non-members of the Convention

DOI: 10.3233/EPL-219025

Journal: Environmental Policy and Law, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 133-143, 2022