Abstract
With increasing attention being paid to the role of marine related activity in promoting sustainable economic growth as well as development in coastal areas, it is important to be able to model the impact of policy decisions in this area in an ex-ante fashion. This paper provides an overview of an Economic, Social, Spatial and Environmental (ESSE) framework developed for impact assessment of ocean related industries. The modelling approach is applied to the ocean economy of Ireland and combines proven methodologies, namely input-output modelling and microsimulation, in order to assess multi-dimensional impacts. The capabilities of the ESSE modelling framework are highlighted using policy development examples from marine renewable energy, aquaculture and fisheries.
Highlights
The achievement of a sustainable ocean economy requires the collection of relevant sectoral data the development of suitable indicators and the provision of appropriate analysis so as to aid policymaking
O The engineering parameters were incorporated into an input-output framework to assess the impact on the wider economy
O Spatializing these inputs and outputs, the spatial development of marine energy devices was simulated within the Simulation Model of the Irish Local Economy (SMILE) to assess the regional impact
Summary
The achievement of a sustainable ocean economy requires the collection of relevant sectoral data the development of suitable indicators and the provision of appropriate analysis so as to aid policymaking. The importance of the marine and ocean economy can be seen in the extent of the world’s oceans, the proportion of the world’s population living in coastal areas and the aims of Sustainable Development Goal 14 which looks to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development" (UN, 2015). The ocean economy is an important driver of the European Green Deal, with an emphasis on ensuring sustainability and creating new green jobs and businesses across the sector (European Commission, 2021). As an EU economic sector with a turnover of €750 billion and with almost five million people employed in 2018, the ocean economy has been identified as a driver of European growth through the development of new competences and activities that enable a sustainable development of ocean resources (European Commission, 2020). Home to over 40% of European citizens, have much to gain from the European Green Deal, both economically and environmentally
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