2020 ICM Weekend 1
Problem E: Drowning in Plastic 问题E：淹死在塑料中
Since the 1950s, the manufacturing of plastics has grown exponentially because of its variety of uses, such as food packaging, consumer products, medical devices, and construction. While there are significant benefits, the negative implications associated with increased production of plastics are concerning. Plastic products do not readily break down, are difficult to dispose of, and only about 9% of plastics are recycled[1]. Effects can be seen by the approximately 4-12 million tons of plastic waste that enter the oceans each year[1,2]. Plastic waste has severe environmental consequences and it is predicted that if our current trends continue, the oceans will be filled with more plastic than fish by 2050[2]. The effect on marine life has been studied[3], but the effects on human health are not yet completely understood[4]. The rise of single-use and disposable plastic products results in entire industries dedicated to creating plastic waste. It also suggests that the amount of time the product is useful is significantly shorter than the time it takes to properly mitigate the plastic waste. Consequently, to solve the plastic waste problem, we need to slow down the flow of plastic production and improve how we manage plastic waste.
自1950年代以来，由于其用途广泛，例如食品包装，消费品，医疗设备和建筑业，塑料制造业呈指数增长。尽管有很大的好处，但与增加塑料生产相关的负面影响值得关注。塑料产品不易分解，难以处置，只有约9％的塑料可回收[1]。每年大约有4-12百万吨塑料废物进入海洋[1,2]，可以看到这种影响。塑料废料将对环境造成严重后果，预计到2050年[2].，如果我们当前的趋势继续下去，海洋中的塑料将要比鱼类更多。研究了对海洋生物的影响[3]，然而对人类健康的影响尚未完全了解[4]。一次性塑料产品的兴起导致整个行业致力于制造塑料废料。这也表明产品可用的时间明显少于适当减轻塑料浪费所需的时间。因此，为了解决塑料废物问题，我们需要减缓塑料生产的流程，并改善我们处理塑料废物的方式。
Your team has been hired by the International Council of Plastic Waste Management (ICM) to address this escalating environmental crisis. You must develop a plan to significantly reduce, if not eliminate, single-use and disposable plastic product waste.
您的团队已被国际塑料废物管理理事会（ICM）聘用，以解决这一日益严重的环境危机。您必须制定一个计划，以减少，甚至消除一次性和一次性使用的塑料产品浪费。·
1. Develop a model to estimate the maximum levels of single-use or disposable plastic product waste that can safely be mitigated without further environmental damage. You may need to consider, among many factors, the source of this waste, the extent of the current waste problem, and the availability of resources to process the waste.
开发一个模型，以估算可以安全减轻的一次性或一次性使用的塑料产品浪费的最大量，而不会造成进一步的环境破坏。在许多因素中，您可能需要考虑这种废物的来源，当前废物问题的严重程度以及处理废物的资源的可用性。
2. Discuss to what extent plastic waste can be reduced to reach an environmentally safe level. This may involve considering factors impacting the levels of plastic waste to include, but not limited to, sources and uses of single-use or disposable plastics, the availability of alternatives to plastics, the impact on the lives of citizens, or policies of cities, regions, countries, and continents to decrease single-use or disposable plastic and the effectiveness of such policies. These can vary between regions, so considering regional-specific constraints may make some policies more effective than others.
讨论塑料废物可以减少到达到环境安全水平的程度。这可能涉及考虑影响塑料废料水平的因素，包括但不限于一次性或一次性塑料的来源和用途。塑料替代品的可用性，对公民生活的影响或城市，地区，国家和大洲，以减少一次性或一次性使用的塑料以及此类政策的有效性。这些会因地区而异，因此请考虑特定于区域的限制可能会使某些政策比其他政策更有效。
3. Using your model and discussion, set a target for the minimal achievable level of global waste of single-use or disposableplastic products and discuss the impacts for achieving such levels. You may consider ways in which human life is altered, the environmental impacts, or the effects on the multi-trillion-dollar plastic industry.
使用您的模型和讨论，为一次性或一次性使用的塑料产品在全球范围内可达到的最低浪费量设定目标，并讨论达到此水平的影响。您可能会考虑改变人类生活的方式，环境影响或对价值数万亿美元的塑料工业的影响。
4. While this is a global problem, the causes and effects are not equally distributed across nations or regions. Discuss the equity issues that arise from the global crisis and your intended solutions. How do you suggest ICM address these issues?
尽管这是一个全球性问题，但其原因和结果在各个国家或地区之间分布不均。 讨论全球危机引起的股权问题以及您打算采取的解决方案。您如何建议ICM解决这些问题？
Write a two-page memo to the ICM describing a realistic global target minimum achievable level of global single-use or disposable plastic product waste, a timeline to reach this level, and any circumstances that may accelerate or hinder the achievement of your target and timeline. Your submission should consist of:
· One-page Summary Sheet
· Table of Contents
· Two-page Memo
· Your solution of no more than 20 pages, for a maximum of 24 pages with your summary, table of contents, and two-page memo.
向ICM写两页的备忘录，描述全球一次性或一次性塑料产品废物可达到实际的全球目标最小值的水平，同时为了达到此水平，以及任何可能加速或阻碍您实现目标和时间表的情况。您提交的内容应包括：
·一页摘要表
·目录
·两页备忘录
您的解决方案不超过20页，最多包含摘要，目录和两页备忘录的24页。
Note: Reference List and any appendices do not count toward the page limit and should appear after your completed solution. You should not make use of unauthorized images and materials whose use is restricted by copyright laws. Ensure you cite the sources for your ideas and the materials used in your report.
注意：参考列表和任何附录不计入页数限制，应在完成解决方案后出现。您不应使用未经版权法限制使用的未经授权的图像和材料。确保您引用了想法的来源和报告中使用的材料。
Glossary 词汇表
Disposable Plastic Products: plastic materials or products that are not recyclable and become trash. 一次性塑料制品：不可回收并变成垃圾的塑料或制品。
Mitigate: To make less severe, to moderate, to alleviate. 缓解：减轻重度，减轻，缓解。
Plastic Waste: plastic objects that have not been recycled properly or cannot be recycled; debris made of plastic. 塑料废料：未正确回收或无法回收的塑料物品； 塑料制成的碎屑。
Single-Use Plastic Products: products made of plastic intended for one time use before being discarded. 一次性使用的塑料制品：由塑料制成的产品，在丢弃之前应一次性使用。
Cited References 参考文献
[1] Geyer, R., Jambeck, J. R., & Law, K. L. (2017). Production, use, and fate of all plastics ever made. Science Advances, 3(7), e1700782.
[2] Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., … & Law, K. L. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768-771.
[3] Li, W. C., Tse, H. F., & Fok, L. (2016). Plastic waste in the marine environment: A review of sources, occurrence and effects. Science of the Total Environment, 566, 333-349.
[4] Galloway T.S. (2015) Micro- and Nano-plastics and Human Health. In: Bergmann M., Gutow L., Klages M. (eds) Marine Anthropogenic Litter.
