Marine Litter

The global pollution of seas and oceans with waste is a growing problem that requires a global approach. It has been identified by the United Nations (UN) as one of the most important environmental problems of the 21st century. The plastic waste that ends up in the environment poses major risks. For example, it is harmful to animals living in the sea, and there is increasing evidence that (micro-)plastics can end up in our food through accumulation in the food chain.

MOOC in cooperation with UN Environment

In recent years, UN Environment has been working on a worldwide network for the prevention and management of marine waste. This has led to the creation of the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, in which UN Environment and the Open University have jointly developed the MOOC on Marine Litter. The MOOC provides insights into the latest developments, but it also provides tools for putting the problem on the map and tackling it in one's own (working) environment. 

MOOC in UN languages

This run of the MOOC on Marine Litter is aiming at a worldwide audience and is therefore available in seven languages. The course content is tailored to the different regions of our planet. Ansje Löhr, project leader: “With previous versions of the MOOC in English and Spanish, we were able to reach almost 10,000 participants. Together they have initiated many actions to combat marine litter! UN Environment has expressed the expectation that - partly thanks to their promotional activities - this number will also be reached in this run.”

Education and research

Researchers from the Department of Science of the Faculty of Management, Science & Technology have been involved in research into the causes, effects and solutions for plastic pollution for some years now, for example within the project Schone Maas Limburg and with research partners in Indonesia. 

More about Massive Online Course on Marine Litter.