6 minute read
WORLD MARITIME UNIVERSITY
MAT OCH KLIMAT
A SUSTAINABLE TOMORROW
OCEAN HEALTH FOR OCEAN WEALTH AND A SUSTAINABLE TOMORROW
By Francis Neat & Johan Hollander, World Maritime University (WMU), Malmö, Sweden. Francis Neat is a professor in Sustainable Fisheries and Ocean Biodiversity Johan Hollander is a professor in Sustainable Marine Management and Ocean Governance
OCEAN VALUE
Consider for a moment just how dependent we all are on the ocean; for transport, for trade, for energy, for climate regulation, for recreation, for culture and history, for our well-being and for our food. How much does your company relying on shipping? Do you like to go to the beach or sail, dive, surf or fish? Would you pay more for a hotel or a house with a sea-view? How often do you eat sushi, shrimp or herrings?
Most of us are very fond of the ocean and value it, but we often take it for granted and we have not looked after it as well as we should have. To achieve a sustainable and prosperous tomorrow, we need a healthy ocean, however, the ocean is in trouble today. Its shores choked with plastic debris, its fish stocks depleted, its wildlife threatened and its waters polluted. If we wish to continue depending on, and deriving wealth and benefits from the ocean, we must act now for a cleaner, more productive and biologically diverse ocean.
Fortunately, the ocean is resilient and we have the knowledge and technology to allow it to recover. A Sustainable Tomorrow provides the forum that is required to build collective relationships between businesses, researchers, engineers, academia, government and non-governmental organizations to pool resources and intelligence, and the World Maritime University (WMU) provides the ideal environment to convene and focus thinking through the lens of the maritime and ocean sectors.
A competitive edge in business is always key, and with the mainstreaming of sustainability into consumer thinking and markets, sustainable business practice is proving to provide that edge. Today’s consumers are increasingly savvy and it is no longer enough for businesses to simply brand themselves as sustainable – they must avoid “greenwashing” if they are to gain an advantage over their competitors. Demonstrating a commitment to sustainability through evidence and research is essential and working with sustainability experts, such as WMU, can make that happen. To illustrate this, let us dive into two maritime and ocean related businesses where sustainability is a key driver; seafood and shipping.
SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD
The seafood industry is often in the sustainability spotlight. It’s a multibillion dollar business that caters to the world’s most exclusive restaurants, and also provides a quarter of the world’s population with their primary source of protein. But is eating seafood sustainable? Can the ocean continue to feed billions of humans? Is fishing the cause of declining ocean health?
Some recent media campaigns would have you believe that seafood is to be avoided at all costs and that all fishing depletes fish stocks, ultimately degrading ocean life. This is a simple and alarming message that is however fundamentally wrong. Scientific evidence clearly demonstrates that fishing and aquaculture can be sustainable. Further, consuming seafood, especially wild caught fish, results in far less climate change causing emissions than does consuming other forms of animal protein such as beef, lamb or pork. Thus it is possible to cook, eat and trade seafood with a clear conscience, but only with the assurance that it has been sustainably caught or farmed.
Whether a fishery is sustainable or not is largely a matter of effective regulation and science-based management. Where there is effective regulation and strong management, fish stocks tend to be healthy and productive. In areas of the world where regulation is challenging, as in the case of many developing countries or in international waters, stocks are often depleted. Irresponsible and unsustainable fishing undoubtedly degrades ocean health and threatens food security. Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing accounts for an estimated 20 % of all seafood consumed.
Governments, scientists, academics and business all must play a role in eradicating IUU fishing and ensuring responsible and sustainable fishing. Governments must rise to the challenge of effective regulation,
management and enforcement, scientists must provide governments with the evidence to merit doing so, and businesses must organise their supply chains and markets to promote and support sustainable fisheries. Relatively few large businesses control most of the world’s industrial fishing fleets and aquaculture, uniquely positioning them to influence their suppliers and demonstrate their commitments to sourcing sustainably caught seafood. The seafood industry is able to take advantage of assurances of sustainability through organizations such as the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) that sets a rigorous standard for fisheries to meet sustainability requirements. The MSC not only sets a bar for sustainability, but it continually raises that bar through review of its standard and audits of the fisheries within its program. By focusing on continual improvement, the MSC has been able to achieve real change on the water.
SUSTAINABLE SHIPPING AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Ninety per-cent of all goods we consume are transported by ships and as such, all businesses, large and small, are directly or indirectly dependent on shipping. It is fundamental to our global economy. Although it is by far the most efficient means of transporting bulk goods, it is not without environmental impacts or carbon dioxide emissions. The shipping industry is responsible for an estimated 2.5% of the world’s total CO2 emissions. As a priority the industry has to reduce its reliance on fossil fuel. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has pledged to cut shipping emissions 50 % by 2050. There is significant interest in alternative fuels with ships powered by ammonia and hydrogen in development and we may even see the return of sails in some sectors. As the effects of climate change become more severe each year, it is anticipated that consumers and businesses will demand their goods and transport are provided by companies that reduce or eliminate their CO2 emissions.
Shipping also has a direct impact on the health of the oceans in other ways including pollution, noise, accidents, collisions with wildlife, and indirectly through port and terminal construction. Recognising this, the IMO has developed legally binding agreements that have reduced many of these impacts. Much progress has been made and shipping has realistic potential to become comprehensively sustainable, but it will need further research and science to achieve this and the shipping industry itself must be involved in developing and implementing change.
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR THE GLOBAL OCEAN
We all want to continue to enjoy the benefits the ocean provides us, but this will require that we make informed choices, reduce our impact and view sustainability as a business goal and strategy. We must demand an end to our excessive dependence on plastics and pressure governments for better waste management. We must be informed about the seafood we purchase or trade, demand that our suppliers meet high environmental standards with transparent supply chains, and rapidly end our dependence on fossil fuels. There may be short term cost implications to this sustainable shift, but the portion of consumers who demand sustainable products is growing rapidly and to remain competitive, businesses will need to adopt demonstrably sustainable practices. This is a win-winwin for business, the consumer and our environment, allowing future generations to benefit and prosper from the ocean as we have done.
We must think internationally and be prepared to solve ocean health issues not just in our own waters, but in those of our neighbours, providing support for developing countries in particular. At WMU, our mission is founded on building capacity in developing countries. We have the experience, knowledge and network to support fruitful connections between responsible maritime and ocean businesses in the developed world and the needs of developing nations. A Sustainable Tomorrow and a healthy ocean are within reach if we work together, learn from each other and are prepared to change our mind-set – now, not tomorrow. A SUSTAINABLE TOMORROW
