THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH: A CASE OF INEFFECTIVE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

1. THE GREAT PACIFIC GARBAGE PATCH: A CASE OF INEFFECTIVE GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT Lauren E. Goldberg, Lee Ann L. Hill (Jake Brenner) Department of Environmental Studies & Sciences, Ithaca College Concentrating in the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch can be found about a thousand miles southwest from the coast of California, USA. The warm subtropical convergent currents of the Pacific Ocean cause the waters in this region to be calm, resulting in a concentration of an estimated 10 million tons of plastic and other debris. This garbage patch is constantly moving with the ocean currents, is breaking down at an accelerating rate, and is unable to be seen using current satellite technology, making it impossible to calculate accurate measurements of its size or its geographical boundaries. Because the Great Pacific Garbage Patch was only recently discovered in 1997, a limited amount of research has been published on this matter as a global environmental problem. We reviewed this published literature, along with state policies and global institutional arrangements, and identified social, political, and biophysical causes and consequences of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Mass consumption in developed countries neighboring the Pacific Ocean acts as a social driver of this issue. Politically, there is a clear lack of effective international environmental institutions responsible for global ocean governance. And lastly, biophysical drivers involve the patterns of ocean currents and photodegradation of plastic in the ocean. With its multidimensional drivers and no clear solution in sight, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch poses a serious challenge to an increasingly global community of researchers, citizens, and states concerned with the well-being of the world’s oceans.