B3.6.5 The London Protocol
The London Convention (1972) on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter was one of the first global conventions to protect the marine environment from human activities and has been in force since 1975.
In 1996, the “London Protocol” was agreed to further modernize the Convention and, eventually, replace it. Under the Protocol all dumping is prohibited, except for possibly acceptable wastes on the so-called “reverse list”. The Protocol entered into force on 24 March 2006.
The London Convention (1972) on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter is a global agreement that was drawn at the Intergovernmental Conference on the Dumping of Wastes at Sea in London in 1972.
The objective of the convention is to prevent pollution of the sea, by the dumping of waste and other matter, which is likely to:
- create hazards to human health,
- harm living resources and marine life,
- damage amenities, or
- interfere with other legitimate uses of the sea.
© 2008 WGEA