%0 Thesis
%9 Master
%A Luhede, Amelie
%D 2020
%F theses_frw:3339
%P 91
%T From source to sea - An investigation into hotspots for marine plastic pollution along the English North Sea coast
%U https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/3339/
%X Marine plastic pollution is a ubiquitous problem and poses a severe threat for people, wildlife and ecosystems. It is both a global and a local issue, as plastic pollution occurs around the globe and it is of a trans-boundary nature. Still, degree of pollution depends on local circumstances, but governments are unable to cope with the growing amount of plastic. Existing international agreements and regulations seem to be insufficient and do not offer suitable governance instruments to address the problem of marine plastic pollution specifically. In addition, diffuse transport pathways and often unknown sources hamper the efforts to prevent plastic input into the marine environment. This lack of knowledge and the inherent complexity lead to difficulties in governing the issue. In order to shed light on the origins of plastic, this research investigates the hotspot entry points for macro plastic originating from human land-based activities along the English North Sea coast.