Pollution levels in oceans continue to rise / Need for global action / 'PolyTalk' conference spurs intense discussions about marine litter/ Research warns that amount of plastic packaging ending up in the oceans should not rise

摘要

By 2050, the world's oceans will be home to as many plastic particles as fish. The microplastics are absorbed by algae, mackerels and sea snails in the North and Baltic Seas, marine biologists at Germany's Alfred Wegener Institut report, adding that through this chain the particles then end up on our plates. Just how important the topic of marine litter has become is illustrated by the fact that this year's "PolyTalk" conference, which took place in Brussels / Belgium on 16 and 17 March, had the motto "Zero Plastics to the Oceans." Quite a revolution, considering that the event was held under the aegis of PlasticsEurope (Brussels; www.plasticseurope.org)-the organisation representing European plastics producers. If there were any doubts before, PolyTalk 2016 made it clear that the pollution of the oceans is a global problem that needs to be addressed by the combined efforts of players from all levels-global, regional and national. During his opening comments, Patrick Thomas, president of PlasticsEurope and chief executive of Covestro, emphasised the aim of the two-day confer-ence: "We want to find the right answer to prevent all plastics from entering the ocean."