Bella Charlesworth
Research Officer
Marine scientist and science communicator focusing on evidence-based decision-making for oceans and plastics.
Faculty of Law / Faculty of Science
Global and Public Law / Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
Bella has experience in the laboratory and field specialising in marine ecology, environmental management and data management and analysis for plastics and citizen science data in Australia and internationally.
With the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership (GOAP) Secretariat, Bella is currently supporting the development of national data systems for plastics and following the global plastic treaty process as it unfolds.
Publications
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- C.G. Mayorga Adame, J. Gacutan, B. Charlesworth, M. Roughan, (2025). Unravelling coastal plastic pollution dynamics along southeastern Australia: Insights from oceanographic modelling informed by empirical data, Marine Pollution Bulletin, Volume 213, 117525, ISSN 0025-326X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.117525.
- Gacutan, J., Tait, H., Jones, J., Charlesworth, B. and Hood, L., (2024) Citizen science supports national reporting of a Sustainable Development Goal indicator: A case study of plastic debris density on beaches. Environmental Science & Policy, 161, p.103870.
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- Policy brief. The need for data on plastics – ensuring a transparent, equitable and ambitious global agreement to end plastic pollution prepared by Northrop, E., Belonje, E., Jayasinghe, R., Dickinson, H., Charlesworth, B. for the GOAP Secretariat
- Data platform. The Global Plastics Data Tracker developed by the UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform.
- Guidance. The Global Plastics Data Checklist developed by the UNSW Centre for Sustainable Development Reform.
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- Beyond the Bin: Confronting the Reality of Global Plastic Recycling (March 2025)
- From negotiations to implementation: flying blind without data on plastics is not an option (December 2024)
- Ocean Protection Gets a Legal Boost: What the ITLOS Advisory Opinion Means for Climate and Nature (October 2024)
- Beyond the [brackets]: Progress towards the Global Plastic Treaty (May 2024)
- Ocean Accounting & Climate Change: Why Numbers Tell a Deeper Story (October 2023)
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- Core Member of the Scientists' Coalition for an Effective Plastics Treaty (2024 - Present)
- Member of the Coalition of Civil Society and Rights Holders for the global plastic treaty, coordinated by the Center for International Environmental Law (2024 - Present)
- Tangaroa Blue Foundation, host of the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database (2023 - Present)
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- Sri Lanka's National Forum on Plastics and Circular Economy | 3-4 April 2025 | Colombo, Sri Lanka
- The Global Dialogue on Sustainable Ocean Development | 1-5 July 2024 | Bali, Indonesia