Plastics pollution as waste colonialism in Te Moananui

Plastics pollution is a global, relational, integrated, and intersectoral issue. Here, we undertook narrative analysis of semi-structured interviews with nineteen key plastic pollution decision-makers. They offered a contextual lens to understand challenges facing Pacific Island (Te Moananui) nation...

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Main Authors: Sascha Fuller, Stephanie B Borrelle, Tina Ngata, Trisia Farrelly
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: University of Arizona Libraries 2022-08-01
Series:Journal of Political Ecology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://journals.librarypublishing.arizona.edu/jpe/article/id/2401/
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author Sascha Fuller
Stephanie B Borrelle
Tina Ngata
Trisia Farrelly
author_facet Sascha Fuller
Stephanie B Borrelle
Tina Ngata
Trisia Farrelly
author_sort Sascha Fuller
collection DOAJ
description Plastics pollution is a global, relational, integrated, and intersectoral issue. Here, we undertook narrative analysis of semi-structured interviews with nineteen key plastic pollution decision-makers. They offered a contextual lens to understand challenges facing Pacific Island (Te Moananui) nations in preventing plastics pollution. We build on the work of Ngata (2014-2021) and Liboiron (2014-2021) to situate the narrative analysis within a "waste colonialism" framework. We argue that plastics pollution as waste colonialism transcends environmental, policy, and industry concerns. "Indigenous political ecologies" of plastics pollution provide an understanding by which plastics pollution prevention can be examined at multiple scales. These include, at the international level: trade agreements and import dependency, donor aid and duplication, and transnational industry influence. At the local level: pressure from local plastics manufacturers, importers and suppliers, and barriers to accessing the latest science. Located within a global and regional context, our findings capture the systemic and long-standing impacts of colonialism on Indigenous responses to plastics pollution prevention and management, highlighting its effects on human and environment health and wellbeing. Sustainable solutions to plastics pollution for Te Moananui require the centering of its peoples and their deep, lived, and intergenerationally transmitted knowledges in the identification of challenges and solutions, the implementation of activities, and amplification of a shared regional voice.
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spelling doaj.art-56a8086d2bf5424d97302779df7fd9c52022-12-22T02:26:01ZengUniversity of Arizona LibrariesJournal of Political Ecology1073-04512022-08-0129110.2458/jpe.2401Plastics pollution as waste colonialism in Te MoananuiSascha Fuller0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8243-9452Stephanie B Borrelle1Tina Ngata2Trisia Farrelly3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0333-3893University of NewcastleBirdlife InternationalNgāti PorouMassey UniversityPlastics pollution is a global, relational, integrated, and intersectoral issue. Here, we undertook narrative analysis of semi-structured interviews with nineteen key plastic pollution decision-makers. They offered a contextual lens to understand challenges facing Pacific Island (Te Moananui) nations in preventing plastics pollution. We build on the work of Ngata (2014-2021) and Liboiron (2014-2021) to situate the narrative analysis within a "waste colonialism" framework. We argue that plastics pollution as waste colonialism transcends environmental, policy, and industry concerns. "Indigenous political ecologies" of plastics pollution provide an understanding by which plastics pollution prevention can be examined at multiple scales. These include, at the international level: trade agreements and import dependency, donor aid and duplication, and transnational industry influence. At the local level: pressure from local plastics manufacturers, importers and suppliers, and barriers to accessing the latest science. Located within a global and regional context, our findings capture the systemic and long-standing impacts of colonialism on Indigenous responses to plastics pollution prevention and management, highlighting its effects on human and environment health and wellbeing. Sustainable solutions to plastics pollution for Te Moananui require the centering of its peoples and their deep, lived, and intergenerationally transmitted knowledges in the identification of challenges and solutions, the implementation of activities, and amplification of a shared regional voice.http://journals.librarypublishing.arizona.edu/jpe/article/id/2401/plastic pollutionwaste colonialismPacific regionIndigenous political ecologySmall Island Developing States
spellingShingle Sascha Fuller
Stephanie B Borrelle
Tina Ngata
Trisia Farrelly
Plastics pollution as waste colonialism in Te Moananui
Journal of Political Ecology
plastic pollution
waste colonialism
Pacific region
Indigenous political ecology
Small Island Developing States
title Plastics pollution as waste colonialism in Te Moananui
title_full Plastics pollution as waste colonialism in Te Moananui
title_fullStr Plastics pollution as waste colonialism in Te Moananui
title_full_unstemmed Plastics pollution as waste colonialism in Te Moananui
title_short Plastics pollution as waste colonialism in Te Moananui
title_sort plastics pollution as waste colonialism in te moananui
topic plastic pollution
waste colonialism
Pacific region
Indigenous political ecology
Small Island Developing States
url http://journals.librarypublishing.arizona.edu/jpe/article/id/2401/
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AT stephaniebborrelle plasticspollutionaswastecolonialismintemoananui
AT tinangata plasticspollutionaswastecolonialismintemoananui
AT trisiafarrelly plasticspollutionaswastecolonialismintemoananui