Opening a front against indiscriminate dumping of toxic waste into oceans, the Caribbean countries are adopting an international agreement to prevent pollution from ships, becoming the sixth region in the world to do so.
From May 1, the resolution will ban oil pouring, sewage, garbage and dumping of noxious liquids, which are carried in bulk packages, containers, portable tanks and tank-trucks.
Meanwhile, the International Committee for the Protection of Marine Environment called on governments and industries of the area to implement the measures established to protect special areas from pollution.
So far, North and Mediterranean Baltic Sea, the Antarctic area and the Gulf are the places where it is prohibited to dump contaminated waste.
The resolution, MARPOL 73/78, was adopted in the Caribbean after the main ports in several countries in the region were prepared with suitable containers to collect waste from ships.
Dumping toxic waste is a serious threat to the health and sustenance of more than 41 million inhabitants in these territories, who depend on activities such as fishing and tourism, which are their main source of foreign exchange.
Toxic waste dumping also threatens the existence of various ecosystems of the Caribbean Sea, the source of a wide variety of plants and endemic animals and nine per cent of the world's coral reefs.
{{/usCountry}}Toxic waste dumping also threatens the existence of various ecosystems of the Caribbean Sea, the source of a wide variety of plants and endemic animals and nine per cent of the world's coral reefs.
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