animal husbandry, natural resources and fisheries . The Blue economy directly linked to fisheries and ocean resources is estimated to contribute to around 4% of our GDP which is ~100 Billion USD (7 lakh crore INR).
And why is the blue economy in focus ?
Typical ocean activities are
around fisheries, tourism and maritime transport . Fisheries have harmed our
oceans ; fish catches have gone down and 87 % of our fish stocks are
over-exploited. Let us consider Aquaculture. Aquaculture refers to water
farming, breeding, harvesting fish, shellfish, aquatic plants etc. is a growing economy critical to the food security
of our poorest people. Aquaculture provides more than half of all fish consumed
with 63% of production in freshwater (mostly in ponds on land), 28% in
marine waters, and 9% in coastal ponds.
To improve our blue economy , we
need to accelerate our focus on emerging areas such as offshore renewable wind energy(ocean energy),
marine biotechnology and Bioprospecting (usage
of medicinal plants for healthcare).Not only will these prevent rapid
degradation of our ocean resources but spur our governments and public sectors
to invest and create new employment and
development opportunities.
Looking at India’s projected
population growth, such measures are needed for improving the social and
economic status of our current and future generations. The picture below shows
the importance of ‘blue economy’ as the seventh largest contributor to our global economy.
Due to ineffective waste
management of plastic on land , smaller particles of plastics called as Microplastics ends up in our oceans . A
concerning fact is 80% of the debris in our oceans is from plastic .
A bigger problem is the volume of
plastic pollutants from Textile, Tourism, Fishing and
Shipping Industries . The table below summarizes the
extent of marine pollution from these industries .
India’s Initiatives :
Though India has committed to a ban
of single-use plastic by 2022 and uses about 14 million tons of
plastic annually, there is a lack of an organized system for management of
plastic waste . Blanket bans are ineffective as alternatives are not
immediately available and so it is a multi-step process for phasing-out of
plastics.
India has 7500 kilometers of coastline
and has established national and regional campaigns to measure marine plastic
footprint and take steps towards a plastic pollution free India. The Saaremaa
program is
a port modernization program to enhance the capacity of India’s ports and power
the blue economy. Implementation of sustainable fisheries, conservation of
biodiversity, enforcement of strict environmental laws with respect to
pollution is a key aspect of Saaremaa but coastal industrialization programs
have adverse impacts on marine ecology and strong alignment between
governments, policy makers and engaged research scientists is need of the hour.
Blue Carbon is here to help ….
Mangroves are salt tolerant trees with inter-wining branches found along our coastlines and is known to store carbon, improve water quality and provide protection against floods and storms. Mangroves are super-hero trees and have an enormous capacity to suck up carbon-dioxide from air and covert to biomass in the form of thick, heavy layers of carbon-rich soil that stays waterlogged and does not rot . Promoting Mangroves along our coastal ecosystems and declaring them as protected and reserved forests is essential.
Technology
to our rescue ….
A new study reveals that plastic-eating super enzymes can break-down plastics
in a few days. Scientists are engineering a super plastic-eater by stitching
together the DNA found from plastic eating bacteria into one enzyme that can
breakdown plastic quickly . Nature’s most affected are several species of marine life and we humans must help
save them. How quickly these solutions would come to the market and leveraged
by our industries remains to be seen
Plastics impacting marine life- Seabird
in picture
In conclusion…It is indeed disheartening to see slow
progress of mega government projects, lack of governance by our local municipalities
,careless public attitude towards garbage disposal and the cleanliness levels
of our localities and the sea of litter that often surrounds us. Strong
governance and investment in technologies that help our natural habitats can
accelerate our progress towards a cleaner society .
We are grappling with a world-wide
problem and need to come together as a civil society and break the plastic wave
that is endangering our planet. It is important to recognize that this marine
pollution topic has cross-boundary impacts with global plastic supply chains
and our careful consumer attitudes with respect to consumption and safe
disposal of plastic products is key to a sustainable marine life.
No comments:
Post a Comment
if you have doubts. Please let me know.