Rethinking the Blue Economy: Integrating social science for sustainability and justice

2025/07/12 by Jerneja Penca, Irmak Ertör, Marta Ballesteros +8 · 2 voices · 1 citation
Earth and Planetary Sciences · Environmental Science · #Coastal and Marine Management #Coral and Marine Ecosystems Studies #Marine and coastal plant biology

paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/s44183-025-00138-1

openalex publication_date 2025/07/12 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/03

Abstract

To fulfill the Blue Economy's promise of sustainable and just ocean use, its scientific foundation must more fully integrate the social sciences. Drawing on insights from real-world scientific networking initiatives, we identify three key contributions of the social sciences and propose a strategy to redefine the Blue Economy. This strategy anchors knowledge in societal challenges and emphasizes co-creation, the science-policy interface, knowledge integration, and the values of accountability and care.

Citations

• Blue growth and blue justice: Ten risks and solutions for the ocean economy
• Enabling conditions for an equitable and sustainable blue economy
• ‘We are the oceans, we are the people!’: fisher people’s struggles for blue justice
• Ocean equity: from assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governance
• Building competences for researchers working towards ocean sustainability

Cited by

• A multidisciplinary framework for research prioritization at the science-policy interface: Insights for wildlife conservation and management

Discussions

• The #BlueEconomy term was coined in 2011 as an appeal to "do things differently” by reducing inequalities & harms to the #ocean. Is that goal now remote? Penca et al. suggest integrating #SocialScienc [bsky, 2 points, 0 comments]
• 📄 Nuevo artículo de la investigadora Marta Ballesteros. 🔵 En él destaca el rol clave de las ciencias sociales para impulsar la economía azul: un uso sostenible de los océanos centrado en la protecc [bsky, 2 points, 0 comments]

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