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Viewpoint – Ocean Plastic Pollution: a convenient but distracting truth?

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  • Stafford, Richard
  • Jones, Peter JS Dr

Abstract

Ocean plastic is a contemporary focal point of concern for the marine environment. However, we argue there are bigger issues to address, including climate change and overfishing. Plastic has become a focus in the media and public domains partly through the draw of simple lifestyle changes, such as reusable water bottles, and partly through the potential to provide ‘quick fix’ technological solutions to plastic pollution, such as large scale marine clean-up operations and new ‘biodegradable’ plastic substitutes. As such, ocean plastic can provide a convenient truth that distracts us from the need for more radical changes to our behavioural, political and economic systems, addressing which will help address larger marine environmental issues, as well as the cause of plastic pollution, i.e. over-consumption.

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  • Stafford, Richard & Jones, Peter JS Dr, 2019. "Viewpoint – Ocean Plastic Pollution: a convenient but distracting truth?," MarXiv fu5dp, Center for Open Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:osf:marxiv:fu5dp
    DOI: 10.31219/osf.io/fu5dp
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Nicolau, Juan Luis & Stadlthanner, Katja Anna & Andreu, Luisa & Font, Xavier, 2022. "Explaining the willingness of consumers to bring their own reusable coffee cups under the condition of monetary incentives," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    2. Reis, G.G. & Heidemann, M.S. & Goes, H.A.A. & Molento, C.F.M., 2021. "Can radical innovation mitigate environmental and animal welfare misconduct in global value chains? The case of cell-based tuna," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    3. Tobias Börger & Tenaw G. Abate & Margrethe Aanesen & Ewa Zawojska, 2021. "Payment and Policy Consequentiality in Dichotomous Choice Contingent Valuation: Experimental Design Effects on Self-Reported Perceptions," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 97(2), pages 407-424.
    4. Stafford, Richard & Jones, Peter JS Dr, 2019. "We should not separate out environmental issues, but the current approach to plastic pollution can be a distraction from meaningful action. A response to Avery-Gomm et al," MarXiv sk5qa, Center for Open Science.
    5. Garrath T. Wilson & Tracy Bhamra, 2020. "Design for Sustainability: The Need for a New Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-8, April.

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