Issues of context, capacity and scale: Essential conditions and missing links for a sustainable blue economy

Holly J Niner,Noel C Barut,Tom Baum,Daniela Diz,Daniela Laínez Del Pozo,Stuart Laing,Alana Malinde S.N Lancaster,Kirsty A Mcquaid,Tania Mendo,Elisa Morgera,Payal N Maharaj,Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood,Kelly Ortega-Cisneros,Tapiwa V Warikandwa,Sian Rees

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2022.01.001

Abstract

The blue economy has roots in the international arena of sustainable development and sets out to unlock opportunities for economy and society whilst protecting and enhancing marine environments. To date there has been no analysis of how this overarching intention for sustainability has influenced the rapid development of blue economy policies at national and regional scales. In this article, we analyse the synergies and conflicts between blue economy policies from a diversity of national and regional policies and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We show that to maintain critical alignment with targets for sustainability, place-based contextual development of blue economies that meet the needs of all actors is necessary. These needs relate to ensuring resilience against future environmental and political shocks, the maintenance of the ecological basis for thriving blue economies, and capacity development at all levels to support effective and equitable governance. Results indicate that co-production will be important to achieve sustainable blue economies.

Highlights

The blue economy concept arose from demands to address the fail ures of the green economy (Brundtland, 1987) to capture the importance of marine and ocean environments to their nations and economies (Gruby et al, 2016; Maclellan, 2015; Pauli, 2010; Silver et al, 2015; Whisnant and Reyes, 2015)
When considering interactions as driven by progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), relationships were more positive than when considered as being driven by blue economy aims
Despite clear synergy between the concepts, interactions were considered to be more positive when driven by progress towards the SDGs rather than blue economy aim types. This was highlighted through a repeated perception by workshop partici pants that progress towards the SDGs would not happen without cor responding progress towards many of the blue economy aims. This perception was based on the logic that progress towards the SDGs would strengthen the foundations critical to the enhancement of existing and new activity occurring under the auspices of blue economy strategies

Summary

Introduction

The blue economy concept arose from demands to address the fail ures of the green economy (Brundtland, 1987) to capture the importance of marine and ocean environments to their nations and economies (Gruby et al, 2016; Maclellan, 2015; Pauli, 2010; Silver et al, 2015; Whisnant and Reyes, 2015) Both concepts are founded on acknowl edgement that the traditional economic models of human production and consumption have not adequately incorporated the full range of resources and values that contribute to a thriving economy that supports societal wellbeing (Brundtland, 1987). Critical analysis has shown that whilst the blue economy has been cast as a route to sustainable development, for many regions and sectors it is seeking this through growth driven exploitation of the nat ural resource base (Andriamahefazafy et al, 2020), and there is limited evidence to date that the progress is following a sustainable interpretation

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion