Report: Greening the Blue Economy

Oceans, seas and marine and coastal resources represent an essential link between every region of the planet. In various ways, they affect the lives of people all over the globe as they are drivers and enablers of national and regional economies as well as a source of survival. The Mediterranean countries have engaged in making the best use of the potential of the blue economy associated to their shared sea to promote growth, jobs and investment, while reducing poverty, safeguarding healthy and clean seas, and developing a clear vision for the sustainable and integrated development of marine and maritime sectors. Maritime and land-based activities in the Mediterranean region, along with the progressively more artificialized coastline, are at the origin of a wide spectrum of pressures affecting marine and coastal ecosystems. Current patterns of economic development in the region are characterised by resource-intensive production processes as well as consumption intensive lifestyles both of which contribute to resource scarcity, pollution, waste generation, and greenhouse gas emissions. A large part of the pollution in the Mediterranean is caused by inefficient industrial processes and unsustainable management of waste. INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION Cost-effective opportunities for countries to reverse the existing unsustainable production and consumption patterns and develop eco-efficient economies do exist. The way in which goods and services are designed, produced, sold and consumed can and need to be redesigned with the objective to drive the revitalization of industrial and socio-economic development – including blue economy relevant sectors – towards zero-waste, low-carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive solutions. To tackle this overall challenge, several international and regional organizations, including the Union for Mediterranean (UfM), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the UN Environment / Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) and its Regional Activity Centres (RACs), namely SCP/RAC, Plan Bleu/RAC and PAP/RAC, the Intermediterranean Commission (IMC) of the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR), and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have closely collaborated, within their respective mandates and ongoing partnerships, to produce this brochure, gathering a collection of case studies showcasing the application of Sustainable Consumption and Production principles and practices towards a sustainable Blue Economy (BE) in the Mediterranean region.

Publication coordinator and supervisor: Alessandra Sensi, Environment and Blue Economy, UfM Secretariat

Author: Artur Nadcrinicinii

December 2017