Protéger l’environnement marin de la pollution due aux activités terrestres

This briefing examines the 25-year history and impact of the Global Programme of Action (GPA) for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, detailing its role in coordinating international efforts to combat marine pollution from terrestrial sources.

• Approximately 80% of marine pollution originates from land-based sources, including untreated sewage, agricultural runoff, industrial oils and heavy metals, and sediments from logging and land clearing.
• The Global Programme of Action (GPA), adopted in 1995 by 108 countries and the European Commission, is a non-binding framework hosted by the UNEP. It identifies nine categories of pollution: sewage, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), radioactive substances, heavy metals, oils, nutrients, sediment movements, waste, and the physical destruction of habitats.
• The GPA established three major multi-stakeholder partnerships to address specific pollution streams: the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management (2009), the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (2012), and the Global Wastewater Initiative (2013).
• Nutrient pollution, primarily from nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers, creates 'dead zones' devoid of aquatic life. Between 1960 and 1990, the use of synthetic nitrogen fertilizers increased sevenfold and phosphorus threefold, with an estimated 120 million tonnes of nitrogen and 10 million tonnes of phosphorus released annually into the environment.
• Marine plastics account for 60% to 90% of marine waste. Despite public awareness, the volume of plastic in oceans was projected to double between 2010 and 2025, partly because reduction has been viewed as a consumer choice rather than a producer responsibility or state regulatory duty.
• Sewage is the largest source of marine contamination by volume. Global efforts are hindered by the fact that over 80% of collected wastewater worldwide remains untreated, and developing nations struggle with rapid urbanization and the high cost of treatment infrastructure.
• The GPA's effectiveness has been diminished as global governance shifted toward legally binding, pollutant-specific treaties, such as the Stockholm Convention on POPs and the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and as funding moved toward these newer instruments.
• The GPA contributed to the 2015 Sustainable Development Goals, specifically target 14.1 regarding marine pollution and target 6.3 regarding wastewater.

APA

Paul, D. (2021). Protéger l’environnement marin de la pollution due aux activités terrestres. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/still-one-earth-GPA-FR.pdf

Chicago

Paul, Delia. Protéger l’environnement marin de la pollution due aux activités terrestres. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2021. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/still-one-earth-GPA-FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Paul |first1=Delia |title=Protéger l’environnement marin de la pollution due aux activités terrestres |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2021 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/still-one-earth-GPA-FR.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{paul2021protger, author = {Paul, Delia}, title = {{Protéger l’environnement marin de la pollution due aux activités terrestres}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2021-04/still-one-earth-GPA-FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }