The G20 Environmental and Climate Sustainability Working Group meeting was recently held in Bengaluru. Land Degradation, Blue Economy and Circular Economy were the three focal points of discussions under the Indian presidency. Ashish Chaturvedi, Head — Environment, Energy and Resilience, UNDP India, in an interview to The Hindu spoke on Blue Economy and its relevance to the G20 forum.
Blue Economy corresponds to economic activities that rely on the use of coastal and marine resources. It advocates balanced and sustainable use of these resources to minimise negative impacts upon the marine environment. | Photo Credit: REUTERS
What is the Blue Economy? How is it different from the idea of the Green Economy?
The Blue Economy essentially corresponds to economic activities that rely on the use of coastal and marine resources. Like the concept of Green Economy, it advocates balanced and sustainable use of these resources to minimise negative impacts upon the marine environment. The idea of the Blue Economy emerged as nations began to recognise the criticality of the ocean and its resources, and the growing threats to the marine environment from climate change, marine pollution, and overexploitation.
Different countries have contextualised the Blue Economy differently based on their priorities, with several nations having incorporated concepts of social equity, and climate change mitigation and adaptation in their approach. Global estimates show that ocean-related economic activities contribute around USD 1.5 trillion to the global economy per year. This is expected to double to USD 3 trillion per year by 2030.
What is the relevance of the Blue Economy to the G20 forum?
The concept of Blue Economy is highly relevant to the G20 forum because all G20 countries are coastal States and rely heavily on ocean resources for livelihoods and economic growth. Together, they account for around 45% of the world’s coastline and 21% of the world’s Exclusive Economic Zones. Therefore, ensuring a sustainable Blue Economy is essential to achieve the social and economic development goals of G20 countries which will cascade into larger impacts upon the global economy.
Ocean ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrass meadows are extremely efficient carbon sinks and also act as natural barriers against coastal flooding, cyclones, and sea level rise. Conservation of these ecosystems through the principles of Blue Economy will further contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation | Photo Credit: PAUL NORONHA
How would the discussions on Blue Economy here contribute to the larger, global discourse on sustainable development and climate action?
The principles and sectors of the Blue Economy are inextricably linked to nearly all of the Sustainable Development Goals identified under the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Ocean ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrass meadows in particular are extremely efficient carbon sinks and therefore play an important role in removing excess greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. These ecosystems also act as natural barriers against coastal flooding, cyclones, and sea level rise.
How we manage and conserve these ecosystems through the principles of Blue Economy will further contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation. The G20 discussions on Blue Economy will have a bearing on other global dialogues on sustainable development and climate action.
What does the Indian presidency aim to achieve through the discussions on Blue Economy within G20? What are the key priorities for India?
The Indian Presidency aims to build on the discussions that were conducted and the action plans that were adopted during previous G20 presidencies on ocean-related issues. For instance, marine litter has been a recurring theme in the G20 forum in recent years. In 2017, the G20 adopted a Marine Litter Action Plan under the German presidency and later, in 2019, under the Japanese presidency an implementation framework on marine litter was adopted. Building on this momentum, India has identified Marine Litter as a key priority under the broader ambit of Blue Economy.
Additionally, India has identified conservation and restoration of coastal and marine ecosystems and Marine Spatial Planning as key priorities. Effective and integrated Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) will play a critical role in achieving the Blue Economy objectives. For the first time in a G20 forum, India has introduced MSP as a focused item on the agenda. As a cross-cutting theme, the Indian presidency is also advocating resilience against climate change as an important prerequisite for building a sustainable Blue Economy.
Marine litter has been a recurring theme in the G20 forum in recent years. Now, India has identified Marine Litter as a key priority under the broader ambit of Blue Economy. | Photo Credit: AFP
What is the role of UNDP and other International Organisations in facilitating the discussions and subsequent action on the Blue Economy within the G20?
The G20 comprises a diverse group of countries with varying national circumstances. They are also at different stages in their transition towards the Blue Economy. UNDP is working in almost all these countries to address conservation as well as economic issues around Blue Economy, and is creating platforms to encourage sub-national, regional and global discourses on pathways towards a sustainable blue economy, facilitate exchanges of ideas and best practices.
UNDP is also working on the ground to ensure climate adaptation for communities dependent upon the blue economy. In India, for instance, we are working in the states of Odisha, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh to enhance climate resilience of coastal communities through enhanced livelihoods, disaster preparedness and biodiversity conservation.
What are the main challenges in achieving the Blue Economy goals and how could they be addressed through the G20 forum?
There are several challenges related to ocean governance, science and technology, and finance that must be addressed in order to achieve the Blue Economy objectives. Maritime sectors such as marine fisheries, aquaculture, ports and shipping, renewable energy, tourism, etc. and closely interlinked, and all these sectors need to work together to create tangible and sustainable impacts towards improving ocean ecosystems. Additionally, activities occurring on the coast of one country can have impact on the coasts of other countries. This introduces complex governance challenges at the national and international levels which can only be addressed through active participation and integration of all relevant stakeholders in the planning and implementation stages of Blue Economy policies and projects.
Even with all the scientific and technological advancements in recent decades, the ocean space still remains largely unexplored and unmapped. We need to invest more in marine research to identify and map the marine living and non-living resources and the current state of the health of the ocean and its ecosystems, which can then guide our efforts towards a sustainable Blue Economy.