Ávarp Guðmundar Inga Guðbrandssonar umhverfis- og auðlindaráðherra - International Symposium on Plastics in the Arctic and the Sub-Arctic Region

Ladies and gentlemen,

When we want to give our planet a health check, it is wise to look at the Arctic.
In the popular imagination, the Arctic is freezing cold and clean as snow. So it came as a shock to many when toxic industrial and agricultural chemicals were found in its wild and pristine nature. And not just in tiny trace amounts. Persistent organic pollutants, or POPs, are soaked up by marine life, and build up in the food chain; so much that they can be a health threat to humans in the Arctic living on a traditional diet, as well as wildlife. When insecticides from warm latitudes pose a danger for polar bears, then we have a truly global problem on our hands.

The Arctic also sounded a warning bell on global warming. The 2004 Arctic Climate Impact Assessment was one of the strongest evidence to that date on how our carbon emissions are transforming our environment. If the Arctic is melting, surely Mother Earth must have a fever.

And now we have plastics. This wonderful versatile material, that has made our lives better and easier, from carrying our daily groceries to supporting quality medical care. Now we are finding plastic debris everywhere, and especially in our seas and oceans. Vast islands of plastic debris are forming in ocean gyres, while microscopic particles are found in stomachs and flesh of fish and seabirds. And yes, even in the pristine Arctic, thousands of kilometers from the world‘s big population centres. The message from the far North is once again clear: Earth, we have a plastics problem.

Dear friends,

I want to thank the organizers and participants in this Symposium very much for their hard work, excellent proceedings, and important contributions. As I mentioned here before, the environmental message from the Arctic is not just a matter for the region, but has a global importance.

I want to thank Inger Andersen, the Executive Director of UNEP, who said at the opening session that marine plastic pollution ranked as a top global concern. Her words carry much weight.

I want to thank Krista Mikkonen, the Finnish environment minister, who also addressed the Symposium, and pointed out that a global problem of plastic pollution merits a global response.

And I want to thank our main host at this Symposium and my good colleague, Foreign Minister Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, who stated clearly that we can not go about with business as usual, and that we need action to tackle this problem now.

Last but not least [- and I am aware that this is starting to sound like an acceptance speech at the Oscars -] I want to thank all the experts and speakers at this Symposium. You have given us the latest and the best information on the origins of plastics in the Arctic, how it is monitored, how it gets here and where it occurs, how it impacts the marine ecosystem and what we can do to deal with the problem.

It is important to get this information on the table. We need solid facts and the insights they provide. We need the guidance of science. We have looked to science to guide us in our current global health crisis caused by Covid-19. And we need science to diagnose the ailments of our planet, and find ways towards healing. I think this Symposium is an important step to bring together the puzzles and help us get a complete picture of where we stand; and where we are headed and what options we have.

Ladies and gentlemen,

It is important that Arctic countries act. Part of the plastics problem is home-made, and calls for local and national response. Here, the Arctic Council and its Working Groups are important. The Council is our most important forum for scientific cooperation and monitoring, and for shaping policy and giving guidance.

What can a country like Iceland do? Quite a bit, actually. First of all, we need to stop wasteful use of plastics. I emphasize wasteful, because plastics have many uses, let us not forget that.

Here, Iceland has recently taken major steps. A ban on disposable plastic bags has taken effect with remarkable speed – and with remarkable support from businesses and the general public. Of course, plastic bags are only a small part of the problem. But they are a potent symbol of wasteful behavior. For a few minutes of convenience, we use a product that takes centuries to break down.

In addition to plastic bags, we have passed a law with a more general ban on disposable items made of styrofoam and other plastics, that will take effect this year.

The natural world moves in circles – our consumer world is built on a linear model. That can not last. Its logical conclusion is to take all useful materials and turn them into trash. It is not an appealing vision for the future. Action against plastic pollution must begin by producing less waste.

In addition to the steps mentioned above, we also need a holistic vision. My Ministry recently presented an action plan to tackle plastic pollution, that contains 18 measures at all stages from production to clean-ups; from stopping single-use plastic products to reducing microplastics in sewage to cleaning up beaches. We need a truly circular economy. We do not need the sea as a giant trash can.

But there is only so much that Iceland, or Arctic States, or the Arctic Council can do. Marine plastic pollution is a truly global challenge. We need a global instrument to tackle it. We have started discussing a global agreement on plastics pollution under the auspices of UNEP. It is my hope that we can take a conclusive step on this at our next session of the UN Environmental Assembly, in February 2022. The Nordic Council of Ministers has launched a blueprint of what a plastic treaty could look like and how it could work. I hope it helps us in our task ahead.

We could ask, do we really need another environmental treaty? My answer is: Yes. But are such treaties not mainly a piece of paper; thin words that merit an occasion for pompous signing ceremonies? My answer to that is: No. The record is certainly not perfect, but we have good examples of treaties that work. I started by invoking toxic chemicals, or „POPs“. We negotiated the Stockholm Convention to halt the emissions of the most dangerous POPs. It has clearly worked. Pollution by POPs is clearly declining in many places, including Icelandic waters.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We need to act now, or face a future of plastics entering the marine ecosystem in a way that is difficult or impossible to reverse. We have heard the facts. 8 million tons of plastic enter the ocean each year. This flow might triple by 2040, if current trends continue. We can not have that.

You have given us the facts. You have sounded the Arctic alarm. We have designed many of the tools we need. Let us act on the science. Let us act on a global treaty on plastics pollution. Let us work for a healthy ocean – in the Arctic and everywhere on our blue planet.

Thank you.