The tool, called Global Plastic Watch (GPW), can detect plastic waste sites as small as 5 by 5 metres, creating an interactive 'living' map of plastic pollution in near real time.
The data gathered is believed to be a world first, providing a historic insight into one of the planet’s most complex environmental challenges - how to stop plastic from flowing into our oceans.
“It’s not about naming and shaming,” but “empowering governments” with information to help tackle the problem, said Fabien Laurier, a key architect of GPW.
The free, publicly available tool was developed and funded by Australian non-profit the Minderoo Foundation, and has been “applauded” by the United Nations.
A plastic waste site in Indonesia leads towards the water. Pic: Maxar Technologies/Earthrise Media
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