The concept of the “Blue Economy” is relatively recent and originated from the Rio+20 (i.e., the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 2012) (Smith-Godfrey, 2016). Inspired by the efforts of a group of coastal and island nations to extend the concept of the green economy beyond land-based resources to include marine resources, the UN has decided to incorporate the “Blue Economy” into its discussions (Bax et al., 2022). As a result, the “Blue Economy” came to the fore, espousing the desired outcome of “improved human wellbeing and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities” (UN, 2012, 3).
Since then, many national governments and non-governmental organizations have adopted the concept of the Blue Economy. The World Bank, for example, defines the Blue Economy as “the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health” (World Bank, 2017).
Australia incorporated the concept of the Blue Economy into its sustainable development plans, proposing that the essence of the Blue Economy is to sustainably manage the wide range of economic activity in the world’s oceans (Lu et al., 2019).
Potential for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
The concept of the Blue Economy encompasses many aspects of oceanic sustainability, ranging from sustainable resource exploitation to ecosystem health to pollution (World Bank, 2017). It has direct relevance to some of the UN’s most important sustainable development goals, for example:
Goal 14: Life Below Water
Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development.
Goal 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
References:
Bax, N., Novaglio, C., Maxwell, K. H., Meyers, K., McCann, J., et al. (2022). Ocean resource use: building the coastal blue economy. Reviews in Fish Biology & Fisheries, 32(1), 189–207. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-021-09636-0
Lu, W., Cusack, C., Baker M., et al. (2019). Successful Blue Economy Examples with an Emphasis on International Perspectives. Frontiers in Marine Science, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2019.00261
Smith-Godfrey, S. (2016): Defining the Blue Economy, Maritime Affairs: Journal of the National Maritime Foundation of India 12 (1). http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09733159.2016.1175131
United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, 2012. Blue Economy Concept Paper, s.l.: United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
World Bank (2017): https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/infographic/2017/06/06/blue-economy (accessed 06/15/2022).
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