Why is it important?

Plastic pollution has recently entered the global environmental agenda as one of the big challenges confronting humanity. The problem is growing rapidly and is linked to a range of different environmental issues, including habitat destruction, biodiversity loss, human health, food security, chemical pollution, flood prevention and climate mitigation. While plastic pollution is a global problem, drivers and consequences vary considerably from region to region or country to country. Technological, economic and social development are also important factors that influence the extent of plastic pollution, and identification of appropriate solutions. In order to fight the problem on a global level, local and regional insights are key. Plastic pollution is a complex issue. We believe that it is possible to solve it, but there isn’t just ‘one’ solution. A critical and precautional approach is crucial before undertaking costly and ineffective pollution prevention and remediation measures. There is an exponential increase in research and development effort on plastic pollution. Paradoxically, such a trend risk to make relevant knowledge and experiences dispersed. We, as a scientific community, need to make sure to build on each other’s strengths and combine our efforts to answer the societal demand for knowledge and effective solutions. We believe that by building a scientific community and drawing on shared knowledge and expertise, the international knowledge hub can contribute to inspire better decisions and actions around the world.

Our approach

We aim to amplify the dissemination of relevant scientific works and science-inspired actions on plastic pollution. By providing a common platform, IKHAPP will give voice to this community. While neither the ultimate, nor a single solution to plastic pollution may exist, we assume science should be a major driver of policy making in this area. The IKHAPP community assumes therefore a constructive role to inspire action and inform decisions through this knowledge hub. As scientists, we strive to deliver validated knowledge and provide encouraging examples to science-based solutions. IKHAPP provides a library of peer-reviewed information (e.g status reports, newsletters) relevant for different regions and socioeconomic context of the planet, that will help decision-makers, stakeholders and organizations to get an overview of possible solutions and state of the art research.

The IKHAPP project is funded by the Norwegian Research Council under the ASAP (Asia Scientific Alliance Against Plastic Pollution) project.