When sufficiency meets seawater: Building a blue moral economy
The sufficiency and wellbeing economy movement can’t end at the shoreline.
On a planet where drifting plankton generate roughly half of the oxygen we breathe, it is remarkable how often economic re‑imagining stops at the shore. Sufficiency, wellbeing, post‑growth—these conversations challenge the growth myth on land yet far too often leaves the ocean in “business‑as‑usual” mode. That blind spot matters. The ocean absorbs about a quarter of humanity’s CO₂ emissions, feeds more than three billion people and still receives an estimated 19–23 million tonnes of plastic every year. Ignore this blue half of Earth and our transition risks washing away like a sandcastle at high tide.
From Blue Growth to Blue Degrowth—and Beyond
The “blue‑growth” agenda promises maritime GDP but downplays ecological limits. In response, researchers coined blue degrowth —a field calling for reduced extraction and greater ecological‑cultural value at sea. Where blue degrowth says “less extraction”, the blue moral economy finishes the sentence: “…because the ocean is a sacred commons, not a warehouse.”
A blue moral economy offers this compass, integrating ethical imperatives from diverse faith traditions—stewardship, sufficiency, fairness, and intergenerational responsibility—with regenerative and sustainable marine economic practices. Blue moral economies embed spiritual values into economic activities, ensuring that human actions support long-term ecological sustainability, community resilience, social equity, and belonging.
In that spirit, I serve as co‑lead of Faiths for UNOC3, a multifaith campaign aiming to bring these moral principles to the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, June 2025—ensuring that faith communities help turn blue moral economy theory into on‑the‑water reality.
Key Distinctions of a Blue Moral Economy:
Nature-positive rather than merely sustainable: Aims for outcomes where human activities actively restore and enhance biodiversity, leaving marine ecosystems in better condition than we found them.
Purpose-driven rather than profit-maximizing: Measures success by contribution to ecological health, human dignity, and community flourishing—reflecting faith traditions' emphasis on the intrinsic value of creation and human dignity
Relationship-centered rather than transaction-focused: Recognizes the inherent connections between communities, ecosystems, and future generations—mirroring spiritual teachings on interdependence and intergenerational responsibility
Sufficiency-oriented rather than growth-dependent: Emphasizes "enough for all" rather than endless accumulation—embodying religious principles of moderation, contentment, and equitable distribution
Stewardship-based rather than ownership-focused: Views natural resources as entrusted gifts rather than commodities to exploit—directly expressing the creation care mandates central to many faiths
Circular rather than linear: Designs economic activities to regenerate rather than deplete natural systems—reflecting sacred teachings on cycles of renewal and responsible use
Commons-based rather than exclusively privatized: Recognizes that many ocean resources are shared heritage, requiring collaborative governance—consonant with religious concepts of the common good and collective responsibility
Valuing the Ocean: Beyond Economic Metrics
At the heart of a blue moral economy lies a fundamental reconceptualization of how we value the ocean. Conventional frameworks reduce marine ecosystems to extractable resources or services, overlooking their intrinsic worth, cultural significance, and ecological importance. Faith traditions offer profound alternatives to this narrow valuation, recognizing oceans as sacred commons that sustain all life.
From an ethical perspective, the ocean has value that transcends human utility. Religious teachings affirm this through diverse concepts: The Islamic view of 'Al-Mizan' that refers to balance - often used to describe the equilibrium that should be maintained in all aspects of life, the Indigenous understandings of oceans as living ancestors, Buddhist principles of interdependence, Sikh emphasis on divine presence in all creation, Jewish teachings on intergenerational responsibility, Christian stewardship ethics, Baha'i principles of unity in creation, and Jain reverence for all life forms. These perspectives challenge approaches that value marine ecosystems only for human benefit.
A Blue Moral Economy expands valuation frameworks to include:
Spiritual and cultural values: The ocean as a source of inspiration, identity, and connection to the divine
Relationship values: The ocean as a connector of peoples and communities across space and time
Intrinsic and existence values: The recognition that marine life has inherent worth
Intergenerational values: The ocean as a shared inheritance for future generations
Ecological values: The ocean's role in maintaining planetary systems that support all life
Six Practical Pathways for Sufficiency Advocates
Fold the ocean into every post‑growth manifesto. Wherever you argue for lower material throughput—food, energy, housing—add a blue chapter. Sufficiency ends at the shore only if plankton, coral, and small‑scale fishers are invisible.
Target the US $22 billion in harmful subsidies. Capacity‑enhancing support keeps distant‑water trawlers profitable and local ecosystems empty. Campaigns can redirect this public money to coastal food‑sovereignty, gear transition, and habitat recovery—turning degrowth imaginaries into a fiscal plan with clear winners.
Support a justice‑first High Seas Treaty. Ratification drives protections across 61 percent of the ocean—but sufficiency advocates must also insist on iron‑clad bans on deep‑sea mining and a seat for Indigenous peoples at every decision table.
Back community‑governed 30×30 zones. Quantity without quality is greenwash. Push policies to grant legal title—or at least management authority—to coastal peoples and small‑scale fishers for new marine reserves, pairing protection with rights to sustainable livelihood.
Say “no” to blue‑bond offsets, “yes” to debt justice. Financialized “nature swaps” can entangle communities in new obligations while investors skim interest. Sufficiency coalitions should further research and policies on outright debt cancellation, progressive ocean taxation, public‑grant funding for restoration, and alternative financial models—tools that de‑commodify the commons.
Integrate blue wellbeing metrics. Replace tonnage and GDP with indicators that matter: fish‑biomass recovery, seagrass carbon draw‑down, cultural‑heritage continuity. Advocate for these metrics in municipal budgets, corporate reports, and sustainability audits to keep the ocean visible in every “beyond‑GDP” dashboard or doughnut.
Plankton is neither progressive nor conservative; it simply photosynthesises. Aligning blue degrowth with a blue moral economy invites a shared mission—rooted in ethics and evidence—to keep the Earth’s lungs breathing. Without a living ocean, there is no post‑growth future—only post‑everything.
2025 can still be the year sufficiency meets seawater. Let us be the tide that turns.
Photo by Alex P
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