This included a pledge of $150m (£115m) from a group of NGOs and companies to prevent plastic waste reaching oceans in south-east Asia. Five countries – China, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand – are responsible for half of all the plastic waste that enters the oceans globally each year. In those countries, on average less than 40% of plastic waste is recycled. However, the environment lawyers ClientEarth said laws against illegal fishing in the EU were being undermined by failures among member states. “Strong and systematic sanctions are needed to deter illegal fishing and pay for the damage done to our marine environment.

Source: The Guardian October 06, 2017 13:52 UTC