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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.