Marine litter
The work to reduce marine litter in Norway and worldwide is a high priority for the Norwegian government.
The government’s work and priorities in this area have for example been described in the plastic strategy included in White Paper no. 45 (2016-2017) Avfall som ressurs – om avfallspolitikk og sirkulær økonomi (Waste as a resource – about waste policy and the circular economy) and White Paper no. 35 (2016-2017) Oppdatering av forvaltningsplanen for Norskehavet(Update of management plan for the Norwegian Sea).
The government’s ambition is to avoid plastic waste in oceans and freshwater. The international ambition according to the UN’s sustainable development goal no. 14.1, that all marine pollution, particularly from land-based sources, including marine litter and nutrient salts, should be prevented and significantly reduced by 2025. On Norway’s proposal, the UN Environment Assembly has agreed on several decisions to strengthen the work of the member states to prevent marine litter, most recently in December 2017, when it was agreed that marine litter and microplastics pollution must stop in the long term. The decisions in the UN Environmental Assembly make up an important framework for the work in this area, in addition to other international, regional and national regulations, strategies, decisions and processes, etc.
Read more about marine pollution