Quick Dips
Curated topical articles on the Blue Economy

How we can prioritize sustainability in rebuilding tourism

• Maksim Soshkin & Isobel Fenton, World Economic Forum • Tourism

Conscientious and sustainable tourism practices can help local populations and the environment.

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4 Opportunities to Shore Up the World's Coastal Ecosystems and Communities

• Liz Hollaway, Ghislaine Llewellyn and Andy Steven, World Resources Institute • Energy Solutions • Fisheries & Aquaculture • Plastics & Pollution • Shipping & Ports • Tourism

More than 3 billion people live near the ocean, affecting coastal resilience and climate change adaptation.

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Why science and innovation are crucial for a blue recovery

• WORLD OCEAN INITIATIVE • Energy Solutions • Fisheries & Aquaculture • Plastics & Pollution • Shipping & Ports • Tourism

The latest World Ocean Initiative webinar highlights recent developments in promoting ocean science, developing technological innovations and boosting financing instruments.

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Devastated by pandemic, tourism sector must be rebuilt in a safe, equitable and climate friendly way

• UN News • Tourism

Tourism is much more than visiting cultural landmarks or swimming in tropical beaches; it is “one of the world’s most important economic sectors”, the UN chief said.

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Rising Seas Could Menace Millions Beyond Shorelines, Study Finds

• Brad Plumer • Energy Solutions • Fisheries & Aquaculture • Tourism

As climate change raises sea levels, storm surges and high tides will push farther inland, a team of researchers says.

Read more → (3 minute read)


Why a sustainable blue recovery is needed

• Dona Bertarelli & Mukhisa Kituyi • Energy Solutions • Fisheries & Aquaculture • Plastics & Pollution • Shipping & Ports • Tourism

Mukhisa Kituyi, secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and Dona Bertarelli, UNCTAD’s new special adviser for the blue economy, outline what the blue recovery agenda should include. Developing countries in particular can benefit.

Read more → (2 minute read)


Building a business in coral-reef restoration

• World Ocean Initiative, The Economist Group • Energy Solutions • Fisheries & Aquaculture • Tourism

In the second of our Q&As with the three winners of the Women and the ocean: Changemakers challenge, we speak to Olga Lucía Caro Jácome, chief executive and co-founder of ProcoReef, about coral-reef restoration.

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Marine economy in 2018 grew faster than U.S. overall

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Energy Solutions • Fisheries & Aquaculture • Tourism

American ‘blue economy’ worth nearly $373 billion

 

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The blue economy – riding a wave of optimism?

• Maram Ahmed • Tourism

Coastal tourism and maritime transport have important roles to play in the diversification efforts of regional economies

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Tourism is damaging the ocean. Here’s what we can do to protect it

• Jemi Laclé • Tourism

What does the big blue mean to you? Is it a holiday destination, a source of income, as for the 60 million people working in the marine fishing industry, a vital protein source of 151 million tonnes for human consumption, or a home to millions of species? The ocean has a different meaning for everyone, but for all of us, it is a source of life.

Read more → (2 minute read)


Environmentally friendly diving to conserve marine life for sustainable development

• UN Environment • Tourism

Tourists and divers flock the pristine Nusa Penida Island in Bali, Indonesia for the scenic views, beautiful beaches, towering limestone cliffs and life underwater.

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'Nature is taking back Venice': wildlife returns to tourist-free city

• The Guardian • Tourism

With the cruise ships gone and the souvenir stalls closed, the coronavirus lockdown has transformed La Serenissima’s waterways

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Dive tourism: how to minimize your environmental impact

• UN Environment Program • Tourism

The Reef-World Foundation—the international coordinator of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Green Fins initiative—is reminding tourists of the huge environmental impact their actions can have and is calling on people to protect coral reefs by following a few simple guidelines.

Read more → (2 minute read)


The World’s Largest Cruise Ship Will Homeport in China. But Will It Work?

• J.A. Bower • Tourism

Royal Caribbean announced last week that its fifth Oasis-class ship will be named Wonder of the Seas. Perhaps more interestingly, the cruise line also announced that it will homeport in Shanghai. The 5,448-passenger new vessel, set to become the largest ship in the world at the time of its 2021 debut, will reportedly serve the Chinese market year-round.

Read more → (4 minute read)


The Carbon Intensity of My Cruise Ship Vacation

• Kuni Chen • Tourism

It’s nice to get away and head to the Caribbean, especially when its freezing cold here in NYC. But as I was enjoying my frosty beer and endless buffet, I started to wonder about the environmental impact of my trip. So, because I can’t help myself, I did a little research on the environmental sustainability of the cruise ship industry – with a particular focus on carbon intensity. Deep down I had a nagging concern that cruise ships might be awful for the environment. Bottom line: cruising is indeed very carbon intensive!

Read more → (4 minute read)


Sea surface temperatures

• NASA Earth Observatory • Tourism

Sea surface temperatures have a large influence on climate and weather. For example, every 3 to 7 years a wide swath of the Pacific Ocean along the equator warms by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. This warming is a hallmark of the climate pattern El Niño, which changes rainfall patterns around the globe, causing heavy rainfall in the southern United States and severe drought in Australia, Indonesia, and southern Asia. 

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Insuring Nature to Ensure a Resilient Future

• The Nature Conservancy • Tourism

The world’s first insurance policy on a coral reef is now in place in Mexico

 

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New Report Identifies Countries Most Hit by Cruise Ship SOx Emissions

• European Federation for Transport and Environment • Shipping & Ports • Tourism

The fact that cruise ships are causing pollution in the port cities they visit is not a new one, but a recent study shows that ships operated by a single line emitted ten times more sulphur oxides (SOx) than all of Europe’s 260 million cars in 2017.

Read more → (2 minute read)


IMO agrees on stricter efficiency targets for some ships

• Reuters • Shipping & Ports • Tourism

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) on Friday agreed stricter energy efficiency targets for certain types of ships in an effort to speed up action to cut the sector’s emissions.

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The Caribbean Needs Tourism, and Tourism Needs Healthy Coral Reefs

• The Nature Conservancy • Tourism

AI and social media are helping quantify the economic value of coral reefs.

 

Read more → (3 minute read)