Over 60 percent of global plastic pollution in the marine environment have been attributed to come from South East Asia, where cities are expanding, economies are growing, and urban waste management systems are struggling to keep up. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), is spearheading an initiative towards reducing the environmental impacts in ASEAN cities through “Closing the Loop (CTL)”, a project addressing plastic waste pollution and leakage into the marine environment.

 

 

Overlooking Da Nang Port by Thang Nguyen / Wikicommons

 

 

Countries in the East Asian Seas (EAS) region and its neighboring Pacific countries are highly vulnerable to rising sea levels due to its low-lying communities and densely populated coastal cities. Additionally, the region also has the highest proportion of weather-related disaster displacement in the world. A recent climate change vulnerability assessment for the Arafura and Timor Seas (ATS) region has also identified hotspots (or highly vulnerable marine habitats) and species in the region.

 

 

 

This article was originally published on IW:Learn on June 6, 2021

 

GEF IW:LEARN World Oceans Day 2021 Special Issue

 

 

This article was originally published on IW:Learn on June 6, 2021

 

GEF IW:LEARN World Oceans Day 2021 Special Issue

 

On a grassy field, surrounded by wooden houses and overlooking the Torres Strait at the mouth of the Fly River, we were warmly welcomed by the Head of the of Kadawa village. Located just a short boat ride away from Daru Island, the village is one of the largest in the South Fly District of Western Province, where so many people depend on the sea for survival.

 

This article was originally published on IW:LEARN on June 6, 2021.

 

GEF IW:LEARN World Oceans Day 2021 Special Issue

 

 

This article was originally published on IW:Learn on June 6, 2021.

 

GEF IW:LEARN World Oceans Day 2021 Special Issue

 

 

Home to over 50 percent of the world’s population, coastal areas contribute to almost 50 percent of the world’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and provide a diverse set of ecosystem services that benefit human society. On top of climate change, increasing population, and intensified human activities, unrestrained and unsustainable utilization of coastal and marine resources resulting in ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution has placed unprecedented pressure on coastal areas.

 

 

Ochheuteal Beach, Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Photo credit: Sihanoukville PMO