Deep Dives
Thought-provoking research providing extensive learning opportunities
Andy Steven, et al., High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports Tourism
This paper highlights trends in coastal behaviour and comments on the dynamics that weaken and strengthen coastlines, including infrastructure, shipping, tourism, and future development plans. The paper makes an economic and security case for resilient coastlines, examines trade-offs between restoration and infrastructure development and recommends new models for shipping and tourism.
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Seaweed for Europe Fisheries & Aquaculture
Seaweed for Europe’s new report shows the economic potential of an expanded seaweed market in Europe could be worth €9 billion in just a decade. The report also finds that European seaweed industry could create up to 115,000 jobs in Europe by 2030 and deliver significant environmental and health benefits. Targeted investment, regulatory streamlining, increased research and development of new applications based on seaweed will be needed to unlock this opportunity.
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Beeston, M., Cuyvers, L., and Vermilye, J., Gallifrey Foundation Energy Solutions
There are robust scientific methods to measure carbon sequestration. There is substantial interest to invest in carbon sequestration projects for carbon offsets. Why has this not translated in more successful, on-the-ground blue carbon projects? The failure to resolve this puts too much at risk.
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Sumaila, U.R., et al., Ocean Panel / WRI
This paper examines how the next generation of financing mechanisms can support the ocean transition in an inclusive manner and how catalytic funds can be mobilised to finance that transition.
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Denise M. Mitrano & Wendel Wohlleben, Nature Communications Plastics & Pollution
The presence of plastic in the environment has sparked discussion amongst scientists, regulators and the general public as to how industrialization and consumerism is shaping our world. Here we discuss restrictions on the intentional use of primary microplastics: small solid polymer particles in applications ranging from agriculture to cosmetics.
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K. Kvale et al., Nature: Scientific Reports Plastics & Pollution
Every year, about four percent of the plastic waste generated worldwide ends up in the ocean. What happens to the plastic there is poorly understood, though a growing body of evidence suggests it is rapidly spreading throughout the global ocean.
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Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions (COS) and the Stanford Law School (SLS) Fisheries & Aquaculture Shipping & Ports
Largely out of sight, criminals pillage the oceans. They steal millions of tons of fish each year. That is a huge economic loss to coastal nations, estimated to be somewhere in the tens of billions of dollars. It is an even larger threat to food security; a billion people depend on fish as their source of protein, and in many of the countries that are most dependent, one fish in three is stolen. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing undermines governments’ efforts to manage their resources and undercuts the millions of fishers who are playing by the rules.
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Winnie W. Y. Lau et al., Science Plastics & Pollution
Plastic pollution is a pervasive and growing problem. To estimate the effectiveness of interventions to reduce plastic pollution, we modeled stocks and flows of municipal solid waste and four sources of microplastics through the global plastic system for five scenarios between 2016 and 2040.
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Eliza Northrop, Manaswita Konar, Nicola Frost and Elizabeth Hollaway, World Resources Institute Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports
This new Ocean Panel–commissioned report, ‘A Sustainable and Equitable Blue Recovery to the COVID-19 Crisis’, offers a timely and practical roadmap featuring five priority blue stimulus opportunities that are ripe for immediate investment of stimulus funding. For policy and financial decision-makers, these are ready-made solutions to unlock much-needed relief and resilience and build a fair, just and sustainable ocean economy fit for everyone’s future.
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Almond, R.E.A., Grooten M. and Petersen, T. (Eds). WWF Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports Tourism
Biodiversity – the rich diversity of life on Earth – is being lost at an alarming rate. This loss effects our own health and well-being. Today, catastrophic impacts for people and the planet loom closer than ever.
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Allison, E.H., et al., Ocean Panel / WRI
This paper applies a historical lens to illustrate the differing economic, legal, institutional, social and cultural relationships people of varying cultures have with the ocean.
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OECD, multiple co-authors Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution Shipping & Ports Tourism
Adopting more sustainable ways of managing the ocean is a global priority: protecting its health will bring benefits to all.
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Vito Buonsante, Oceana Plastics & Pollution
The Canadian government must act now to ban harmful single-use plastics. Canada can do its part to end the plastic disaster and create a healthier future for our oceans.
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Mosnier F. et al., Planet Tracker Fisheries & Aquaculture
The oceans cannot sustain the ongoing imbalance driven by declining wild fish stocks and rising demand. A period of restraint is needed to allow ecosystems to replenish. We outline a proposal to facilitate this with the creation of a blue bond.
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Ortega, A. et al, ASLO
Estimation of marine macrophyte contribution to coastal sediments is key to understand carbon sequestration dynamics. Nevertheless, identification of macrophyte carbon is challenging.
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Susan Ruffo and Ellen Martin, The Circulate Initiative Plastics & Pollution
We reviewed the existing landscape for ocean plastic metrics and tools in collaboration with a multisectoral group of experts to identify key trends and gaps in data and methods as well as opportunities to continue advance the field.
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Jude Isabella and Shannon Hunt, Hakai Magazine Fisheries & Aquaculture
For over a century, aquaculturists have tinkered with every part of aquatic animals’ lives, from genetics to diet to where they grow best.
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Costello et al., Nature Fisheries & Aquaculture
Here we examine the main food-producing sectors in the ocean—wild fisheries, finfish mariculture and bivalve mariculture—to estimate ‘sustainable supply curves’ that account for ecological, economic, regulatory and technological constraints.
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Katsiaryna Pabortsava & Richard S. Lampitt, Nature Communications Plastics & Pollution
The mass-imbalance between the plastic litter supplied to and observed in the ocean currently suggests a missing sink. However, here we show that the ocean interior conceals high loads of small-sized plastic debris which can balance and even exceed the estimated plastic inputs into the ocean since 1950.
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Devashree Saha and Joel Jaeger, World Resources Institute Energy Solutions
This working paper draws on the latest economic research to demonstrate how climate policy and investments in low-carbon infrastructure can reboot America’s economy and set it up for long-term success. On the other hand, delaying action on climate will further expose the United States to costly damages from climate impacts, air pollution, and public health crises.
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