As humanity enters the Anthropocene epoch the oceans are more at risk than ever before as a result of the increased exploitation of its resources. The Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world comprising 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. The sea lanes in the Indian Ocean are among the busiest in the world with more than 80 percent of global seaborne trade in oil transiting through the Indian Ocean and its vital chokepoints and an estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production comes from the Indian Ocean. The importance of this region cannot be underestimated and there is no doubt that there are many opportunities for economic growth and job creation presented by the waters washing the shores of the Indian Ocean Rim. In order to ensure a desirable future for humanity it is necessary to make use of the ocean’s resources in a sustainable and responsible manner. Climate change is affecting the Indian Ocean negatively, placing a strain on the ability to ensure food security and damaging the economies of small island states that depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihoods. Increasing ocean temperatures and ocean acidification are taking a toll on ecosystems. This book is the first of its kind, providing fresh insights into the various aspects and impacts of the Blue Economy in the Indian Ocean Region: from shifting paradigms, to an accounting framework, gender dynamics, the law of the sea and renewable energy, this handbook aims at increasing awareness of the Blue Economy in the Indian Ocean Region and to provide evidence to policy-makers in the region to make informed decisions. The contributions are from a mixture of disciplines by scholars and experts from seven countries.

This book explores the immense potential of the Indian Ocean region, and how best to maintain sustainable and responsible economic and strategic activities. The combination of science, innovation, and entrepreneurship will create the new blue economy business model, which has the potential to transform society.

This book argues for a broader approach to sustainable growth in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Small island states such as those in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and South Pacific face significant and growing threats from climate change, increasing political and social volatility, and rapidly evolving global trends in technology and tourism. Based on ten years of research, this book looks beyond the Blue Economy of tourism and fisheries and provides a model of how creative industries, innovation networks, creative clusters and digital transformation can give SIDS the foundation for a strong sustainable future. The book provides not only insights into how these emerging digital-creative sectors can drive developing economies but also actionable tools for policy makers, entrepreneurs and academics to deliver increased performance on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and, ultimately, growth and sustainability. This book will be of great interest to scholars and practitioners of economic geography, sustainable development, development studies and the creative industries.

This report explores the growth prospects for the ocean economy, its capacity for future employment creation and innovation, and its role in addressing global challenges. Special attention is devoted to the emerging ocean-based industries.

The blue economy, comprising coastal and marine resources, offers vast benefits for sub-Saharan Africa: of the 53 countries and territories in the region, 32 are coastal states; there are 13 million sq km of maritime zones; more than 90% of the region’s exports and imports come by sea; and the African Union hails the blue economy as the ‘new frontier of African renaissance’. Despite their importance, the region’s coastal and marine resources have been neither fully appreciated nor fully utilized. They are only now being recognized as being key to Africa’s potential prosperity. As the region grows, it has, in general, not taken adequate safeguards to protect these valuable resources. That is partly because some of the problems (pollution, for example) are regional and know no borders. All too often, short-term gains are made at the expense of the long term (overfishing, for example). This book provides, for the first time, a study of the constraints and opportunities the blue economy offers for sub-Saharan Africa. It includes an introduction and overview; sectoral analyses (including tourism, fisheries, mineral resources, culture, shipping and maritime safety); country case studies; and analyses of regional and international efforts towards better coastal zone and marine management.

The economic paradigms currently dominating the world are not sustainable. The threats from climate change, exploitation-based approaches to commerce, and the excess acquisition of resources loom large as well as the possibility of military flare-ups. Maintaining a balance between development and ecosystems, aspirations for growth, and the need for sustainability is a prescient challenge. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) encompasses some of the poorest countries in the world and those that will bear the brunt of the negative impacts from climate change. This book explores the immense potential of the IOR and how best to maintain sustainable and responsible economic and strategic activities. The combination of science, innovation, and entrepreneurship will create a new blue economy business model, which has the potential to transform society. Based on critical analysis of the model and its practical applications, including risks as well as opportunities, the topics discussed range from food security, energy, and resilience to climate change, trade and investments, and improved maritime connectivity to tourism, poverty alleviation, and socioeconomic growth, encompassing a wide range of interests and expertise. FEATURES Examines the geo-politics, geo-resources, and geo-hazards of the IOR and identifies opportunities and methods to achieve success Covers a detailed assessment of available resources (fisheries, minerals, energy), threats such as pollution (plastic, acoustic, carbon, bio-invasion), geo-politics (maritime security, military invasion), and strategic vision (determining carrying capacity, ethical governance, and responsible ecosystem) of the Indian Ocean Analyzes the economics of the blue economy, the global scenario including the Pacific and Caribbean islands, and the aspect of the Chinese geo-political invasion in the Indian Ocean Inspires entrepreneurs to adopt new ways of creating economic benefits, reducing energy use, and increasing revenue while simultaneously helping the communities involved Discusses the threat and security perspectives of the IOR and the collective responsibility for a sustainable use of resources Crossing a wide range of interests and expertise, this book explores topics and ideas that will be essential to researchers and professionals in marine sciences, economics, business, geography, and political sciences. Graduate students in the same fields as well as any and all organizations that maintain a presence in the IOR will likewise find this book to be a valuable resource.

Instead of continuing to see the land as our future, suppose we put our trust in the sea. For solutions to some of the earth's most pressing problems, the oceans may be our salvation, the source of untapped economic wealth.

Throughout the world there is evidence of mounting interest in marine resources and new maritime industries to create jobs, economic growth and to help in the provision of energy and food security. Expanding populations, insecurity of traditional sources of supply and the effects of climate change add urgency to a perceived need to address and overcome the serious challenges of working in the maritime environment. Four promising areas of activity for ‘Blue Growth’ have been identified at European Union policy level including Aquaculture; Renewable Energy (offshore wind, wave and tide); Seabed Mining; and Blue Biotechnology. Work has started to raise the technological and investment readiness levels (TRLs and IRLs) of these prospective industries drawing on the experience of established maritime industries such as Offshore Oil and Gas; Shipping; Fisheries and Tourism. An accord has to be struck between policy makers and regulators on the one hand, anxious to direct research and business incentives in effective and efficient directions, and developers, investors and businesses on the other, anxious to reduce the risks of such potentially profitable but innovative investments.The EU H2020 MARIBE (Marine Investment for the Blue Economy) funded project was designed to identify the key technical and non-technical challenges facing maritime industries and to place them into the social and economic context of the coastal and ocean economy. MARIBE went on to examine with companies, real projects for the combination of marine industry sectors into multi-use platforms (MUPs). The purpose of this book is to publish the detailed analysis of each prospective and established maritime business sector. Sector experts working to a common template explain what these industries are, how they work, their prospects to create wealth and employment, and where they currently stand in terms of innovation, trends and their lifecycle. The book goes on to describe progress with the changing regulatory and planning regimes in the European Sea Basins including the Caribbean where there are significant European interests. The book includes:• Experienced chapter authors from a truly multidisciplinary team of sector specialisms• First extensive study to compare and contrast traditional Blue Economy with Blue Growth• Complementary to EU and National policies for multi-use of maritime space

Rapid change in trade, demographics, culture and environment around the Indian Ocean demands a revaluation of how communities, sustainability and security are constituted in this globally strategically important region. Indian Ocean Futures: Communities, Sustainability and Security raises awareness of threats and opportunities beyond popular notions of communities through an examination of issues of concern to local, national, regional and transnational communities around the Indian Ocean Rim. This edited book is organized into three broad areas: the heritage and identity of communities, their sustainability and their security. The first section examines how heritage and identity are negotiated in establishing the basis of communities and public discussion of their futures. The second part explores different practices, technologies and communities of sustainability; from technologies being developed for sustainable coastal regions to the adoption of traditional practices for food management. The final section canvasses the changing landscapes and seascapes of the Indian Ocean in relation to the broad concerns of food, environmental and political security. As such, this volume offers the reader valuable engagement with the complex relations of communities and environments and key discourses shaping understandings of the future of the Indian Ocean region.

The Blue Economy cites a new business model in China where novel paper production turns crushed rocks, including mining waste that has piled up over centuries into sheets for printing, writing and packaging without the use of water, without cutting down a tree, and recyclable forever. It details how thistles, considered a weed, is turned into a plastic, a lubricant and a herbicide converting an old petrochemical plant into a biorefinery.