Center for Coastal & Marine Studies
World Oceans Day 2022: Revitalization - Collective Action for the Ocean
The ocean covers over 70% of the planet. It is our life source, supporting humanity’s sustenance and that of every other organism on earth. The ocean produces at least 50% of the planet’s oxygen, it is home to most of earth’s biodiversity, and is the main source of protein for more than a billion people around the world. Not to mention, the ocean is key to our economy with an estimated 40 million people being employed by ocean-based industries by 2030.
Yet its health is at a tipping point and so is the well-being of all that depends on it. “It is time to realize that, to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the objectives of the Paris Agreement on climate change, we urgently need collective action to revitalize the ocean. That means finding a new balance in our relationship with the marine environment” - UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
This year’s United Nations World Oceans Day, on 8 June 2022, will highlight the theme Revitalization: Collective Action for the Ocean. The purpose of the United Nations World Oceans Day is to inform the public of the impact of human actions on the ocean, develop a worldwide movement of citizens for the ocean, and mobilize and unite the world’s population on a project for the sustainable management of the world's oceans.
This is the first hybrid celebration of the annual event, hosted in-person at the UN Headquarters in New York and broadcast live. The Global Event for the United Nations World Oceans Day 2022 will bring together the communities, ideas, and solutions that are working to protect and revitalize the ocean and everything it sustains.
Be part of the global celebration by joining the key events:
• UN Global WOD Celebration
• WOD Webinar Ocean literacy
• Sailing for the World Oceans Day 2022
Originally published by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO
A new Blue Economy Observatory has been launched by the European Commission to bring together knowledge from different sources
The European Commission launches on 19 of May 2022 the EU Blue Economy Observatory, a new knowledge dissemination platform for the sustainability of our oceans, seas and coastal areas.
The new observatory will focus on socio-economic components of the maritime related sectors. It will provide a detailed picture of ocean-related activities, with latest data, scientific evidence, insights, market information and findings supporting ongoing trends and developments in the EU Blue Economy.
The EU Blue Economy Observatory intends to solve the current lack of sufficient available data about industries and sectors related to our oceans, seas and coasts.
Filling this knowledge gap with the latest and most complete scientific information will help policymakers and businesses make decisions in order to build a sustainable, resilient and climate-neutral blue economy in the EU. Moreover, the platform provides information relevant to the development, implementation and monitoring of policies, particularly in light of the European Green Deal.
EU Blue Economy report 2022: ocean economy fuels European green transition
The European Commission has published its annual EU Blue Economy Report to take stock and uncover the latest trends and developments in all economic sectors related to the oceans and coastal areas. With close to 4.5 million people employed, a turnover of more than €665 billion and €184 billion in gross value added, the EU blue economy sectors contribute significantly to the EU’s economy, especially in the coastal regions. Moreover, the report notes that the EU’s blue sectors are a spawning ground for innovative solutions and technologies that can help fight climate change and take the green transition to the next level. It also points at the high cost of inaction to fight climate change, as the damage of rising sea levels could cause a direct loss of more than €200 billion per year by 2080 in the EU.
On the basis of preliminary 2020 data, the Report provides an assessment of Covid-19 effects in the turbulent year 2020. The analysis confirms that Covid-19 had a significant impact on most blue economy sectors. This impact has been more than proportional, compared to the rest of the EU’s economy. This can be explained by the major share of coastal tourism in the EU blue economy – 44% of the total GVA and 63% of employment – which has been hit especially hard during the first year of the pandemic, to more than halve its original size based on preliminary figures.
The report highlights the significant potential for further growth of the blue economy by the development of the emerging and highly innovative sectors, such as the blue bioeconomy, blue-tech innovation and robotics, and ocean energy technologies. Although generally in their infancy, these technologies have the potential to offer sustainable solutions that can accelerate the transition needed for the EU to deliver on its ambitious sustainability commitments.
"How to incorporate Underwater Cultural Heritage into Maritime Spatial Planning": a new study by the European MSP Platform has been published
The European MSP Platform published a study on “How to incorporate Underwater Cultural Heritage into Maritime Spatial Planning – Guidelines and Good Practices”, the objective of this handbook is to provide concrete guidance on how Underwater Cultural Heritage may be considered and incorporated into the Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) process in order to overcome threats to UCH, be established in practical terms, and subsequently developed. Thus, this handbook addresses relevant initiatives in their different stages of development: from those that are just starting up, to those that are already well-established, and looks at ways to achieve an ideal balance and give a new impetus to the nexus between the protection and preservation of UCH and the development of a sustainable blue economy in European seas.
Originally published by the European MSP Platform
Download pdf version here: How to incorporate Underwater Cultural Heritage into Maritime Spatial Planning, April 2022.
For more information on this topic follow also our joint, recently published, peer-reviewed research paper "Supporting multi-use of the sea with maritime spatial planning. The case of a multi-use opportunity development - Bulgaria, Black Sea" in Marine Policy.
