G20 environment ministers agree to tackle marine plastic waste

Reduction of marine plastic trash was one of the major issues at the G20 summit of environment ministers in Japan. Delegates also discussed the future of energy security following the tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman.

Plastic trash floating in Hanauma Bay, Hawaii

The Group of 20 major economies agreed a deal to reduce marine pollution at a meeting of their environment ministers on Sunday in Karuizawa, Japan.

The host nation "proposed a workable framework" on how to deal with ocean trash in emerging and less developed countries.

"I am glad that we, including emerging countries and developing countries, were able to form a broad international framework," Yoshiaki Harada, Japan's environment minister, told a news conference.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he wanted his country to be a leader in reducing marine plastic waste by using biodegradable material and other technological innovations.

Images of plastic debris-strewn beaches and stomachs of dead fish full of plastic materials have sparked global outrage, with environmental activists calling for stricter action to deal with the environmental hazard.

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Manta ray swims through plastic in Southeast Asia

Under the agreed framework, G20 member states are tasked with promoting a comprehensive approach to prevent and reduce plastic waste discharge to the oceans and share their best practices with other nations.

Japan plans to host a follow-up meeting to review the efforts at the G20 Resource Efficiency Dialogue this autumn.

Stable energy supplies

G20 environment ministers also discussed the issue of energy security in the wake of recent oil tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman, with Japan's industry minister, Hiroshige Seko, expressing concern over fuel supplies.

"From a viewpoint of global energy security, it is necessary for the international community to jointly deal with the act," Seko told the meeting, with participating countries agreeing to work together to secure stable energy supplies.

Trash turned into stunning art

Artistic activism

A giant parrot fish made of countless colorful pieces is not something you see every day. And it's just one of a large number of beautiful sculptures of sea creatures created by Washed Ashore. But the Oregon-based project is about more than creative expression.
Trash turned into stunning art

More than the sum of its parts

A closer look reveals that the larger-than-life sculptures are made from a wild mix of plastic objects: Toys, tooth brushes, bottles, tires, sandals, baskets. What they all have in common is their origin: They were washed ashore on the coast of Oregon in the United States.
Trash turned into stunning art

Cleaning up

Before the plastic trash can be transformed into art, the materials need to be collected, cleaned and sorted by color. Over the past five years, volunteers at Washed Ashore have processed about 17 tons of garbage this way.
Trash turned into stunning art

Lead artist in a group effort

Washed Ashore’s founder and lead artist Angela Haseltine Pozzi (pictured here) creates the concepts for the sculptures and also shapes the more difficult parts like the animals' faces.
Trash turned into stunning art

Art education

Volunteers of all ages also participate in the creative process by piecing together parts of the sculptures. This kind of help leads many to start questioning their own wasteful lifestyles and consider ways of generating less garbage.
Trash turned into stunning art

Raising awareness

The completed sculptures are taken on tour throughout the United States to raise awareness about plastic pollution in our oceans and the destruction of marine ecosystems. There are currently three shows on the road - each one comprises some 15 pieces.
Trash turned into stunning art

Making a big impression

“The idea is that you have to grab people’s attention and no-one can resist a huge plastic animal!” says Haseltine Pozzi. Most sculptures measure between 3.5 and 4.5 meters in length and almost three meters in height. The current record-holder is a bird sculpture with a seven-meter wingspan.
Trash turned into stunning art

Copycats wanted

Haseltine Pozzi hopes that people in other countries will create their own version of Washed Ashore. "I have always thought of this as an epidemic art exhibit. It inspires more people to want to do something very similar and that way we get more garbage off the beaches and more awareness internationally. That’s our ultimate goal."

Author: Harald Franzen