. A book of hope – ‘Revisiting the Ocean: Living the Blue Economy’ |23 October 2023

By far the greater part of our planet is the sea. Yet we continue to treat it as less important than land. We cannot afford to do that any longer. The ocean is our greatest hope for the future. It is time we see it for what it is.

A new book by James Michel, a leading exponent of the blue economy, urges us to do just that. He is a realist and knows what challenges we face. But he is also an optimist and draws our attention to a multitude of wonderful initiatives. Whether these focus on new sources of renewable energy, or the work of volunteers restoring our beaches and protecting wildlife; whether it is the immense contribution that can be made by the inventive use of seaweed, or business startups for which nothing is impossible – all mark a turning of the tide. We should take heed.

If we are willing to put our trust in the ocean, we can yet win the day. This is a book of hope. This educational and all-encompassing book about the ocean is funded by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation and written under the auspices of the James Michel Foundation. It is endorsed by Dr Enric Sala, marine ecologist, National Geographic explorer-in-residence and founder of Pristine Seas:

“Seychelles, under President Michel’s leadership, committed to protect 30 percent of its waters. And 15 percent of the Seychelles’ waters are already highly protected… The world needs Michel’s pragmatism – well-earned while leading his country – combined with his optimism and track record. Only hope rooted in realism will save our ocean, and ourselves. Much has happened in the seven years since James Michel wrote his first book on the Blue Economy (‘Rethinking the Oceans: Towards a Blue Economy’). Not all of it good.

Illegal fishing remains a critical problem; the ocean continues to be a dumping ground for all kinds of waste materials; coastal communities face the reality of rising sea levels; advocates for seabed mining ignore the fact that we know too little about the damage that will be caused. And so on. It is too early to claim we are ‘living the blue economy’. That is hardly surprising. It will take longer than seven years to reverse forces which are embedded in the very structure of modern industrial society. But, even now, we can take heart from many promising signs of progress.

James Michel was the third president of the Republic of Seychelles and is author of five other books namely: ‘A Man of the People’, ‘Distant Horizons’, ‘Island Nation in a Global Sea’, ‘Rethinking the Oceans and Legacy’.

The Lloyd’s Register Foundation is an independent global charity with a unique structure and an important mission: engineering a safer world.

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