Senior Postdoc Emily Klein Co-Authors Article on ‘Blue Growth’ in The Brink
Emily Klein, a senior post-doctoral associate at the Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future, recently co-authored an article exploring historical examples of “blue growth”—a concept akin to the “green economy” that promotes sustainable ocean management—in The Brink. The article follows the publication of a major study in the journal Fish and Fisheries in April, which leveraged 20 case studies in 13 countries spanning the past 800 years to assess examples of successful blue growth in fisheries and aquaculture.
The paper asserted that blue growth strategies, an ostensibly new concept, “has been achieved, maintained—and lost—time and time again in the past.”
“[History] shows that blue growth can be unpredictable and difficult to maintain once achieved, and that it may not provide equal benefits to all people,” the authors write in The Brink. “Blue growth must also be driven by people from the ground up, and we found that social norms, community buy-in on regulations, and equitable engagement and access were fundamental to success.”
The authors identified a series of lessons for improving blue growth implementation that, while well-documented in the scientific literature, are inadequately addressed in the European Union (EU) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) blue growth agendas.
“With our oceans of increasing importance, from food security to biodiversity, ensuring wise future ocean stewardship is critical. History shows us we can achieve blue growth—and has much to offer in helping us avoid past mistakes.”