Qatar Takes Part in IAEA Effort to Monitor Marine Plastic Pollution

DOHA — Qatar is participating in the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) global effort to monitor marine plastic pollution, taking part in a regional project under the Agency's NUTEC Plastics initiative, which harnesses nuclear science and technology to tackle one of the world's most pervasive environmental challenges.

Qatar's Role in the Project

Qatar's involvement comes through the IAEA regional project "Contributing to the Global Monitoring of Marine Plastic Pollution," carried out within the framework of the Agency's initiative on Nuclear Technology for Controlling Plastic Pollution (NUTEC Plastics). Qatari officials have said the country stands to benefit from technical cooperation with the IAEA, which supports the building of national and regional capabilities to assess and respond to plastic contamination in coastal and marine environments.

The Assistant Undersecretary for Environmental Affairs at the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and Qatar's National Liaison Officer for IAEA Technical Cooperation Programmes, Abdulhadi Nasser Al Marri, has previously highlighted the marine plastic monitoring project among several IAEA initiatives from which Qatar could benefit, alongside the "Rays of Hope" cancer-care initiative, the Atoms4Food initiative, and the Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) programme. IAEA officials have confirmed that the Agency is cooperating with Qatar on studying environmental issues, including plastic pollution in the sea.

What NUTEC Plastics Aims to Do

Launched in 2020 by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, NUTEC Plastics uses nuclear and isotopic techniques to address plastic pollution both on land and in the ocean. It builds on a portfolio of IAEA research and technical cooperation projects covering plastic recycling using radiation technology and the marine monitoring of microplastics using isotopic tracing techniques. More than 100 countries are now involved in the initiative, supported by more than 40 ongoing and planned IAEA projects.

The marine-monitoring strand of the programme aims to establish a global network of high-tech laboratories capable of monitoring microplastics in the ocean, developing agreed protocols for marine monitoring, and building national capacities to report on the status and trends of plastic pollution in coastal and marine zones. The IAEA's Marine Environment Laboratories in Monaco, established in 1961, serve as the central hub of the global NUTEC Plastics Monitoring Network.

A Growing Environmental Threat

Plastic pollution poses a major threat to ecosystems, particularly in the marine environment, and it is estimated that by 2050 the amount of plastic in the ocean could outweigh the fish in the sea. "Plastic pollution threatens sustainable development and our own well-being. We must work together to address it using science to inform smart policies," Grossi has said, describing the application of nuclear science and technology to monitoring, recycling, and the creation of biodegradable plastics as giving it "an indispensable role" in meeting environmental challenges.

Part of Broader Qatar-IAEA Cooperation

Qatar's participation in the marine plastic monitoring project forms part of a wider and deepening cooperation with the IAEA on the peaceful uses of nuclear technology. The country has repeatedly expressed its appreciation and support for the Agency's efforts to transfer nuclear knowledge and technology to developing nations in support of their development goals. Other areas of collaboration include the designation of Hamad Medical Corporation as a reference or "Anchor Centre" for the "Rays of Hope" cancer-treatment initiative, the management of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) waste from oil and gas extraction, and Qatar's participation in economic and social projects under the ARASIA regional cooperative agreement for Arab states in Asia.