A dialogue on overcoming the geopolitics of the blue economy

Ahead of Stockholm+50, Karina Barquet moderated the pre-event on the theme “Overcoming the geopolitics of the blue economy” hosted by SEI jointly with the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management and Viable Seas.

The blue economy is increasingly considered an answer to the energy and food insecurity generated from unstable geopolitical contexts. However, there is a need to ensure ocean health. Tools such as marine spatial planning will be fundamental to balance the tradeoff between ecosystem wellbeing and an increased industrialisation of our seas.

How to create sustainable marine spatial plans

Participants highlighted three fundamental aspects for creating sustainable marine spatial plans: data, finance, and collaboration. In the context of the Baltic Sea, Ingela Isaksson pointed out the importance of establishing Sweden`s marine spatial planning:

“Marine spatial planning is a continuous process for strategic planning of the sea, where multiple users of the sea are brought together, including government and decision-makers at different administrative levels. It promotes clarity and predictability in decisions affecting the use of the ocean for regulators, investors and the public”, Ingela Isaksson, Senior Analyst at Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (SwAM) said.

Martin Sjöberg, from Viable Seas and Kristineberg Center for Marine Research and Innovation, also brought up the importance of spatial data to find an adequate location and sustainable type of activity for different marine areas.

In Asia, strengthening the cooperation in maritime trade between states that share the South China Sea is seen to be essential for implementing individual national marine development strategies, according to Guyi Han, SEI’s Global Lead for the Strategic Policy Engagement for China.

Blue Economy Dialogue. Photo: Peter Gueth / Shutterstock.

In the Western Indian Ocean, a common challenge remains to balance extracting the financial potential of oceans, such as fishing and renewable ocean energy trade routes, while protecting it from over-exploitation. Philip Osano, Centre Director of SEI Africa used an analogy to highlight the danger that in the tech-race for ocean innovation and resources, coastal and fishery communities could be left behind:

“The risk is that the blue economy becomes an agenda for the sharks at the expense of fish or krill.”

Therefore, a question for future marine spatial plans in all regions is how large-scale connectivity and ecological coherence of the Marine Protected Area network will be achieved, considering an expected expansion of productive and extractive economies such as energy infrastructure and increased shipping activity.

Read about the event

Featured: Dr Karina Barquet

Karina Barquet is contributing to the Sustainable Oceans theme within Mistra Geopolitics, where she’s leading the geopolitics of the blue economy project. Karina Barquet is a Senior Research Fellow at Stockholm Environment Institute; Team Leader of the Water, Coasts and Ocean group at SEI Headquarters and Lead for SEI’s Global Strategic Policy Engagement for the Ocean.

Her research focuses on the political dimensions of coastal governance, including disaster risk reduction, water security, and critical infrastructures in coastal planning.

SEI

Karina Barquet

Karina Barquet is a Senior Research Fellow at Stockholm Environment Institute. Karina is part of the Sustainable Oceans theme within Mistra Geopolitics, where she’s leading the geopolitics of the blue economy project. Her research at SEI focuses on the political dimensions of coastal governance, including disaster risk reduction, water security, and critical infrastructures in coastal planning.

Telephone:+46703885690

Text by Karina Barquet, SEI Team Lead. Edited for Mistra Geopolitics by Ana Calvo, Communications Assistant and Ylva Rylander, Communications Officer, both at SEI.