Everyone is responsible for caring for the ocean, and humans must live in ways
that sustain the ocean. Individual and collective actions are needed to effectively
manage ocean resources for all.
The growing demand for maritime transport, offshore energy, tourism, coastal
development, resource extraction, fisheries and aquaculture may have an impact on
the marine environment. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
is projecting an annual average growth rate of 3.4% for the maritime trade for the
period 2019–2024 (UNCTAD 2019). The European Union has taken up this challenge and established an integrated maritime policy and highlights the importance of
integration between marine and maritime research disciplines, to reinforce excellence in science and to reconcile the growth of sea-based activities with environmental sustainability (European Commission 2017d). The integrated maritime
policy covers five cross-cutting policies, namely, Blue growth, which is composed
of three components (sustainable jobs and growth, legal certainty and security and
cooperation between countries); Marine data and knowledge; Maritime spatial
planning; Integrated maritime surveillance; and Sea basin regional strategies.
Another growing challenge for both the marine and maritime sector is climate
change. International maritime transport faces a dual challenge in respect of climate
change: the need to reduce its carbon emissions and, at the same time, adapt to the
potentially wide-ranging impacts of climatic changes (UNCTAD 2020). Ports and
shipping are intrinsically linked – as such, efforts to reduce maritime emissions need
to extend beyond seagoing ships alone. IMO’s MARPOL Annex VI (2010) regulations on air pollution and energy efficiency are aimed at ships. Nonetheless, it is clear
that for port emissions to be reduced, emissions from all port-related emission
sources need to be addressed. Besides, climate change is expected to have severe
impacts on the marine environment. Increase in water temperatures will contribute to
a restructuring of marine ecosystems with implications for ocean circulation, biogeochemical cycling and marine biodiversity.
The IPCC (2018) report explicitly refers to the need for “rapid far-reaching and
unprecedented changes in all aspects of society”. European Union has put into force
several directives and regulations aiming to incentivize port and shipping companies
to commit to comply with environmental standards. The European Green Deal, the
most ambitious action plan of European Union, aims at increasing the EU’s greenhouse gas emission reductions target for 2030 to at least 50% compared with 1990
levels. Measures accompanied with an initial roadmap of fundamental policies range
from ambitiously cutting emissions, to investing in cutting-edge research and innovation, to preserving Europe’s natural environment. (European Commission 2019a).
The main goal of this work has been the contribution to an interdisciplinary and
participatory framework of analysis of technical, environmental, economic and
social aspects of Blue Growth, which can provide policy recommendations for
improved implementation of the Initiative, allied with the relevant Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD
2008), the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and the Maritime Spatial Planning.
The multidisciplinary team of Professor Phoebe Koundouri joined forced with
two well-established networks: UN SDSN and EIT Climate-KIC aiming to drive the
1 Introduction to the Oceans of Tomorrow: The Transition to Sustainability
3
that sustain the ocean. Individual and collective actions are needed to effectively
manage ocean resources for all.
The growing demand for maritime transport, offshore energy, tourism, coastal
development, resource extraction, fisheries and aquaculture may have an impact on
the marine environment. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
is projecting an annual average growth rate of 3.4% for the maritime trade for the
period 2019–2024 (UNCTAD 2019). The European Union has taken up this challenge and established an integrated maritime policy and highlights the importance of
integration between marine and maritime research disciplines, to reinforce excellence in science and to reconcile the growth of sea-based activities with environmental sustainability (European Commission 2017d). The integrated maritime
policy covers five cross-cutting policies, namely, Blue growth, which is composed
of three components (sustainable jobs and growth, legal certainty and security and
cooperation between countries); Marine data and knowledge; Maritime spatial
planning; Integrated maritime surveillance; and Sea basin regional strategies.
Another growing challenge for both the marine and maritime sector is climate
change. International maritime transport faces a dual challenge in respect of climate
change: the need to reduce its carbon emissions and, at the same time, adapt to the
potentially wide-ranging impacts of climatic changes (UNCTAD 2020). Ports and
shipping are intrinsically linked – as such, efforts to reduce maritime emissions need
to extend beyond seagoing ships alone. IMO’s MARPOL Annex VI (2010) regulations on air pollution and energy efficiency are aimed at ships. Nonetheless, it is clear
that for port emissions to be reduced, emissions from all port-related emission
sources need to be addressed. Besides, climate change is expected to have severe
impacts on the marine environment. Increase in water temperatures will contribute to
a restructuring of marine ecosystems with implications for ocean circulation, biogeochemical cycling and marine biodiversity.
The IPCC (2018) report explicitly refers to the need for “rapid far-reaching and
unprecedented changes in all aspects of society”. European Union has put into force
several directives and regulations aiming to incentivize port and shipping companies
to commit to comply with environmental standards. The European Green Deal, the
most ambitious action plan of European Union, aims at increasing the EU’s greenhouse gas emission reductions target for 2030 to at least 50% compared with 1990
levels. Measures accompanied with an initial roadmap of fundamental policies range
from ambitiously cutting emissions, to investing in cutting-edge research and innovation, to preserving Europe’s natural environment. (European Commission 2019a).
The main goal of this work has been the contribution to an interdisciplinary and
participatory framework of analysis of technical, environmental, economic and
social aspects of Blue Growth, which can provide policy recommendations for
improved implementation of the Initiative, allied with the relevant Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD
2008), the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and the Maritime Spatial Planning.
The multidisciplinary team of Professor Phoebe Koundouri joined forced with
two well-established networks: UN SDSN and EIT Climate-KIC aiming to drive the
1 Introduction to the Oceans of Tomorrow: The Transition to Sustainability
3