- New Arrivals
Fiction- Historical FictionCrime & ThrillersMysteryScience-FictionFantasyPoetryRomanceChildren’s BooksYoung Adult
- Biographies & MemoirsHistoryCurrent AffairsTech & ScienceBusinessSelf-DevelopmentTravelThe ArtsFood & WineReligion & SpiritualitySportsHumor
Children’s BooksListsBlogGift CardsMy ListsGames- About & Help
- About Tertulia
- Membership & Co-Ownership
- Shipping & Delivery
- Orders & Payments
- Contact Support
- Send App Feedback
- Follow us
- Download the app
The co-op bookstore for avid readers
Rethinking the Oceans: Towards the Blue Economy
The world has come to a crossroads. By the end of this century the total population is expected to exceed ten billion, but the area of land to support this is finite. Indeed, with climate change, some of the most valuable land areas will be lost, much of it as a result of rising sea levels. To sustain life on earth, new ways have to be found to grow food, generate energy, and conserve the environment on which our future depends. Fortunately, when faced with a challenge of such consequence, people prove to be remarkably inventive. In this case, solutions are by no means beyond reach. We can start, quite simply, by looking out to sea. There, stretching to the horizon, lies the future. Remarkably, the oceans cover two and a half times the extent of terra firma. Yet we have always taken far less interest in the sea than the land. But what if we change our thinking? Instead of continuing to see the land as our future, suppose we put our trust in the sea. For solutions to some of the earth's most pressing problems, the oceans may be our salvation, the source of untapped economic wealth. Within these waters can be found the elements of what is now widely known as the Blue Economy, the new frontier for human development. It is a twenty-first century concept to meet a twenty-first century challenge. This book explores all aspects of the Blue Economy. Where does the idea come from? What does it include? How can it transform traditional economies? Can it be sustainable? And what needs to be done to ensure its universal adoption?
Book Details
- Publisher: Paragon House Publishers
- Publish Date: Jan 15th, 2017
- Pages: 272
- Language: English
- Edition: undefined - undefined
- Dimensions: 9.10in - 6.00in - 1.00in - 1.40lb
- EAN: 9781557789259
- Categories: • Public Policy - Environmental Policy• Public Policy - Economic Policy• Real Estate - General
About the Author
James Michel assumed the presidency of the Republic of Seychelles in 2004 and has won the support of the people in three subsequent general elections. He successfully steered his country through turbulent waters at the time of the global financial crisis, always keeping his sights on his bold vision of the new Seychelles.While ensuring the domestic development of the nation, President Michel has been active on the international stage. He has rallied support to tackle piracy in the Indian Ocean, championed the cause of small island states, marshalled strong arguments to alert the rest of the world to the threats of climate change, and he has pioneered the concept of the Blue Economy.In 2013, Michel received the Sustainable Development Leadership Award at the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit, and in 2016 he was invited to become a Patron of the World Sustainable Forum.It has been an eventful period but Michel has found time to record, in a series of books, his own insights on this evolving history. First came A Man of the People (2010), then Distant Horizons (2011) and Island Nation in a Global Sea (2014), prior to the Rethinking the Oceans (2016).
Praise for this book
A wonderful book that should be read and digested by all politicians and anyone with any kind of interest in the sea.--Work Boat World, March 2017
This book is unusual in being written by the serving president of the Seychelles, who is passionately involved in promoting the idea of in blue economy based on the sustainability of the oceans. Politically, he represents the Small Island Developing States, many of whom are vulnerable to sea level rise resulting from climate change. The book is exceptionally well informed both theoretically and practically, and contains many beautiful small photographs to illustrate the text. Michel is fully aware of the challenges facing the oceans in terms of overfishing, waste and specific exploitation of species such as whales. He also points out the growing pressure on our land resources and, as an island dweller, turns very naturally towards the sea. Coastal regions potentially under threat not only represent ports and fishermen, but also widespread tourism, not to mention the fact that many major cities are situated on the coast. Michel's love of the sea and dedication to the cause of the blue economy shines throughout the book with his optimistic outlook. However, he does not underestimate the challenges of the sustainability transition, although it will clearly take more than inspiring rhetoric to shift the entrenched interests within our current system.--Paradigm Explorer
As a policy statement to elevate our perspective and show us how the different possibilities and problems of the ocean are connected, the book is highly recommendable.--Håkon With Andersen, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, in Bulletin of Pacific Circle, No. 38
"It is unfortunately all too rare to find a politician who is genuinely interested in matters maritime. It is even rarer to find one who is passionately so interested and who actually knows what he is talking about. That is why it has been a great and unexpected pleasure to read this excellent book by the recently retired President of the Republic of Seychelles. He thoroughly understands his subject and describes it very well.... A wonderful book that should be read and digested by all politicians and anyone with any kind of interest in the sea."--Ausmarine, March 2017
"Michel, president of Seychelles from 2004 to 2016, has written a balanced and stunningly illustrated book. ... The book is strongly recommended for general readers, and will serve as a solid introduction to ocean ecology and economy for a wide audience... Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers."--F. T. Manheim, George Mason University in CHOICE October 2017