BLUE ECONOMY
Chance for a deep blue step change
Through human history , the natural resources that feed and energise the world have primarily been terrestrial . Now , more is being asked of our ocean .
Professor Steve Fletcher likens communicating science to taking people on a voyage , from the warm shallows to the dark , cold deep . Fittingly , he is talking about the ocean and his passion for safeguarding marine life .
Professor Fletcher is Director of the University of Portsmouth ’ s Sustainability and the Environment research theme and Ocean Lead of the UN ’ s International Resource Panel .
His key field of research is ocean policy and economy , specifically issues affecting the sustainability of the blue economy – the world ’ s ocean and coastlines . This is becoming an increasingly important field of science as humanity turns to the ocean as the new frontier for economic security , particularly new renewable energy platforms and deep-sea mineral mining .
Professor Fletcher says , even now , everything from the food we eat and the clothes we wear , to the way we travel around the world , is reliant on ocean resources .
It ’ s his way of fitting marine conservation into an economic frame . However , general awareness of this context remains obscured by conventional conservation still being perceived as a cost to society or a restriction on economic activity . “ Often , in conservation areas there are restrictions on fishing or the removal of non-living resources , such as oil and gas , so conservation is generally seen as a cost .”
Professor Fletcher asserts that , unless you protect the ocean ’ s natural capital , you can ’ t credibly expect it to remain strong economically and play the elevated role that humanity will require – keeping in mind the oceans cover 71 per cent of the Earth ’ s surface , hold 97 per cent of the Earth ’ s water and comprise 99 per cent of the planet ’ s living space .
6 % ( 20 % by 2050 ) of global oil production is dedicated to plastics , with packaging accounting for approximately a quarter of that .
SOURCE : ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION
390 MILLION TONNES In 2012 carbon emissions from plastic production and after use were 390 million tonnes of CO 2
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SOURCE : ELLEN MACARTHUR FOUNDATION
12 REVOLUTION PLASTICS / 2023