We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Sustainable blue economy: Opportunities and challenges
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers review the promise and pitfalls of the 'blue economy' — the sustainable use of ocean resources — finding that threats like global warming, ocean acidification, and microplastic pollution are undermining ocean health at the same time humanity depends on it for food, jobs, and economic growth.
The term ‘blue economy’, first introduced in 2010, is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, jobs, ocean health, and to improve livelihoods. However, a sustainable blue economy faces various challenges in the form of global warming, ocean acidification, and lack of knowledge about the ocean; for example, 95% of the sea is still unexplored, making it more important to understand the blue economy and implement it on a global scale. Other challenges include harmful algal blooms (HABs), invasive species, coral bleaching, and thermohaline circulation. This review discusses various aspects of the blue economy like food, value-added products, offshore energy, oxygen source, mining, fisheries, carbon sequestration, and cloud seeding. The future aspects of blue economy, like sustainability, effective policies, and reducing carbon footprints and microplastics are also explored here.
More Papers Like This
Potential Threat of Microplastic Pollution on Coastal-Marine Ecosystem– An Emerging Economic Setback and Question to Blue Economy?
AI summary Read the abstract
This review quantifies the economic damage of marine microplastic pollution on blue economy sectors including fisheries, aquaculture, and coastal tourism, surveying country-level costs alongside the high expense and limited efficiency of existing cleanup technologies. Linking microplastic pollution to measurable economic losses strengthens the policy case for upstream plastic reduction strategies and more cost-effective removal technologies to protect ocean-dependent industries.
Towards Blue Futures: A Call for Collective Remediation
AI summary Read the abstract
This chapter makes the case for collective, collaborative action to address ocean microplastic pollution, presenting an optimistic framework for remediation at global scale. It argues that solving this crisis requires coordinated effort across governments, industries, and communities rather than isolated individual or national responses.
The Impact of MNEs on Ocean Sustainability
AI summary Read the abstract
This chapter demonstrates how multinational enterprises contribute to ocean pollution, with fast fashion alone releasing 190,000 tonnes of primary microplastics annually and the fishing industry adding significant plastic debris. Corporate activities are the largest upstream driver of ocean microplastic pollution, meaning systemic industry accountability is essential to reducing human exposure through seafood.
Integrating the Circular Economy Principles to Tackle Plastic Pollution in Aquaculture
AI summary Read the abstract
This review examined plastic pollution in aquaculture systems — including microplastics shed from nets, cages, and buoys — and evaluated circular economy strategies such as material substitution, recycling loops, and biodegradable alternatives to reduce plastic waste. Since aquaculture is a major global food source, microplastic contamination of farmed seafood represents a direct and growing pathway for human dietary exposure that demands systemic industry-level solutions.
Microplastics in the Marine Environment: Sources, Distribution, Biological Effects and Socio-Economic Impacts
AI summary Read the abstract
Researchers reviewed the sources, distribution, biological effects, and socioeconomic impacts of microplastic pollution in marine environments, finding that rivers and estuaries are the primary land-to-ocean transport pathways. The review emphasizes that microplastics transfer adsorbed pollutants and additives through food webs to top predators, and that reducing plastic production and improving waste management are essential long-term solutions.
Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.