The politics of the patch... Who will clean it up?

So, we know that garbage patches in our oceans are a big problem. But whose responsibility is it to clean them up? Well, in what is seemingly a classic case of the tragedy of the commons, the oceans are not owned by a single nation state. Nations, therefore, have no individual responsibility for the state of the oceans, and none are keen to claim it as the hypothetical cost of clearing the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch' is estimated between $122 million and $489 million each year!

This is not to say that nations don't own some of the worlds oceans. By law, every nation with coastline has claim to an 'exclusive economic zone' extending 200 miles from land out to sea, where they can exploit natural resources. However, the garbage patches are in international waters...

Various treaties show the beginnings of a nascent international governance of our oceans, but these are far from effective. Leous and Parry (2005) highlight 3 key international efforts to tackle marine pollution:

1. London Convention, 1972. Arguably the first modern piece of international marine pollution legislation. This convention aimed to identify and address the sources of marine pollution, and, as part of this effort, established international regulations on the disposal of waste at sea. However, given that 80% of plastic debris is produced on land, the short-comings of the convention are clear.   
2. UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982. A significant improvement on the London Convention, recognising the need to protect the oceans as whole, and to address all sources and types of marine pollution. 148 entities have ratified the convention, but implementation and enforcement has proved difficult. 
3. Washington Declaration on Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities, 1995. This declaration has a holistic focus on land-sea interdependence and land-based sources of marine pollution. However, it's major shortcoming is that it is non-binding. The inability to enforce this declaration has made it ineffective.   

International governance of our oceans still has a way to go before it is truly effective. However, whilst no single nation wants to claim responsibility, the fact remains that every single person who consumes plastic has a share of the responsibility.