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Citizen Science and AI to combat plastic pollution - side event of the UN Plastic Treaty INC-5.2
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Europe/Zurich
3179/R-D05 (CERN)
Description
The Polarquest Association in partnership with CERN’s project Edge spAIce is organising a side event at CERN’s Ideasquare aimed at the delegates attending the UN Plastic Treaty INC-5.2, and in particular early career scientists, policy makers, statisticians and citizen science experts.
The event aims to show how citizen science, supported by novel AI techniques, can help combat global plastic pollution in an informed, collaborative way, creating a powerful approach to monitor and fight plastic pollution. Citizens can collect data—like photos of litter or reports of plastic waste—using mobile apps. AI then analyses this data at scale, identifying patterns, hotspots, and types of plastic pollution more quickly and accurately than humans alone.
This partnership makes monitoring more efficient and accessible. AI can process thousands of citizen-submitted images to map pollution in real time, while citizen input helps AI systems learn and improve. Together, they enable faster responses, smarter policies, and stronger community engagement in reducing plastic waste.
The event at CERN Idea2 will include presentations and workshops by experts in Citizen Science, AI, marine biology, and geography. To conclude the event, participants will have the opportunity to visit the CERN campus.
The UN Plastic Treaty committee is meet at the United Nations in Geneva from August 5- to Aug. 15 2025, to continue discussing the adoption of a legally binding treaty to end global plastic pollution (started by UNEP in 2022).
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