Plastic pollution is of ever-growing concern, it is a well-known fact that plastic litter is omnipresent in our environment and the eventual sink for plastic waste is the world oceans.

Even in the Arctic region plastic pollution is widespread. There is now a great urgency for actions to stem the plastic tide. Recently, the United Nations Environment Assembly adopted a broad negotiating mandate for a new legally binding international agreement to end plastic pollution. The new agreement is expected to include provisions to promote national and international cooperative measures to reduce plastic pollution in the marine environment. Scientific research and studies into plastic pollution have been growing quite fast over the last couple of decades. It is essential that we take full advantage of the best available knowledge when we look for solutions to tackle this global problem. In March 2021, Iceland and the Nordic Council of Ministers hosted a successful First symposium on Plastics in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Region with participants calling for a follow up in the near future. For these reasons, the Government of Iceland, with the support of the Nordic Council of Ministers, will host a Second International Symposium on Plastics in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Region. The aim is to gather scientific, Indigenous and local knowledge on plastic pollution and discuss ways and means to reduce the impact of plastics on Arctic ecosystems.

Links:
Second International Symposium on Plastics in the Arctic and Sub-Arctic Region