Action on Plastic: On Track with the Regional Action Plan for the Arctic

In October 2019, the Belfer Center's Arctic Initiative and the Wilson Center's Polar Institute co-hosted a workshop on Policy and Action on Plastic in the Arctic Ocean with the Icelandic Chairmanship of the Arctic Council. The event gathered subject matter experts, thought leaders and diverse stakeholders to discuss the issue of marine plastic pollution in the Arctic. The input from the workshop has now been released in a summary report and a set of recommendations, which will feed into the Council's Regional Action plan on Marine litter in the Arctic. We asked Magnús Jóhannesson, the Council's designated Special Coordinator on Plastics Pollution and Marine Litter, and Gunn-Britt Retter, Head of Arctic and Environmental Unit at the Saami Council — who both participated in the workshop — to comment on some of the points that the report raises.

The report lists recommendations for future research in order to fill critical knowledge gaps. Which of these areas are the Council's Working Groups already working on?

Magnús Jóhannesson: The report from the Belfer Center workshop lists a number of research gaps and desirable monitoring measures....