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EDITORIAL article

Front. Environ. Econ., 08 January 2024
Sec. Economics of Climate Change
This article is part of the Research Topic One Ocean, One Climate, One Future: Environmental Economics View all 6 articles

Editorial: One ocean, one climate, one future: environmental economics

  • 1School of Economics and Research Laboratory on Socio-Economic and Environmental Sustainability, Athens University of Economics and Business, Athens, Greece
  • 2Sustainable Development Unit, ATHENA Research Center, Athens, Greece
  • 3Department of Technology, Management and Economics, Technical University of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
  • 4United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (Global Climate Hub, European Hub, Greek Hub), Athens, Greece
  • 5Department of Economics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

Introduction

In this editorial, we explore the urgent need of sustainable management and preservation of marine and coastal ecosystems, by combining the insights and contributions of five research articles, each addressing critical aspects of this complex challenge. From advocating sustainable ocean-based industries to exploring the economic valuation of ecosystems in line with the Sustainable Development Goals, these articles present a multifaceted approach. They underscore the need to integrate economic, environmental, and social considerations, highlighting innovative solutions, community engagement, and policymaking leveraged toward a sustainable future for our oceans.

Overarching theme and goals of Research Topic

The overarching theme of these articles is the sustainable management and conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems, with a focus on balancing economic development with environmental protection. Their key goals include: Advocating for sustainable ocean-based industries, highlighting the need for balancing economic activities with marine conservation; Emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration in climate change solutions and policymaking, particularly in Greece; Addressing challenges in coral reef conservation, stressing sustainable practices and community involvement; Focusing on localized strategies to tackle marine pollution in Greek touristic islands, with a focus on the hospitality industry and Linking the economic valuation of ecosystems to progress in achieving SDGs, particularly SDG 14.

The articles collectively emphasize the critical balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability and highlight the importance of valuing ecosystem services, oftenly overlooked in market transactions, for informed policymaking. Emphasizing the need for sustainable ocean-based industries, innovative approaches to climate change, coral reef conservation, reduction of marine pollution, and the relationship between ecosystem valuation and SDGs, particularly SDG 14, these studies aim to enhance methodologies in ecosystem service valuation and raise public awareness. They advocate for incorporating these values into policy decisions and education, promoting a comprehensive understanding of marine, and freshwater ecosystems.

Key findings and contribution of each article

Barbier's article “Greening the ocean economy” addresses the critical need for sustainable practices in ocean-based industries. It identifies two key challenges: the underpricing of marine capital and the underfunding of ocean conservation. Barbier argues for a new global agreement to phase out harmful subsidies, implement market-based incentives, and boost investments in marine conservation. The article contributes to the broader discussion of sustainable ocean economy by emphasizing the economic and environmental importance of responsibly managing marine resources and ecosystems.

Papadaki et al., discuss the role of “living lab” workshops within the IntelComp platform to address climate change challenges in Greece. These workshops are collaborative places that bring together stakeholders to co-create solutions. The key focus is on innovative approaches to data analysis and policymaking. The paper highlights how these workshops facilitate the sharing of knowledge and best practices, promoting sustainable strategies to tackle climate change. This approach contributes to the broader Research Topic by demonstrating the practical application of interdisciplinary collaboration in addressing environmental issues.

Hilmi et al. examine the challenges and opportunities for coral reef preservation and restoration in the Maldives and highlight the pressures faced by these ecosystems, such as climate change, tourism, and fishing. The paper discusses various conservation strategies and emphasizes the importance of sustainable practices and community involvement. This research contributes to the broader field by offering insights into effective coral reef management and the balance between ecological preservation and economic needs, aligning with global efforts for environmental sustainability.

The study of Guittard et al., focus on reducing Single-Use-Plastic (SUP) pollution in small Greek touristic islands, emphasizing the hospitality industry's role and advocates for a participative system-based approach to design a roadmap for tackling SUP pollution. The article contributes to the field by highlighting the significance of localized, stakeholder-driven strategies in addressing marine pollution, underscoring the unique challenges faced by small islands and the need for tailored solutions, particularly in the context of the tourism sector, which is a significant contributor to marine litter.

Koundouri et al., explore the correlation between the economic valuation of marine and freshwater ecosystems and the progress toward achieving SDGs, particularly SDG 14 through the use of meta-regression analysis to estimate the Annual Willingness to Pay (WTP) for various ecosystem services across European countries. The contribution of this article is that it bridges the gap between economic valuation and environmental policy, demonstrating how a higher valuation of ecosystem services correlates with better progress toward SDGs. Further, this research provides a quantitative basis for linking ecosystem service valuation to policy decisions related to sustainable development.

Conclusions

The insights from these studies underscore a comprehensive approach toward marine and coastal sustainability, integrating economic valuation with innovative policymaking, stakeholder engagement, and community-based strategies. They highlight the need for a paradigm shift in how we view and manage our marine resources, emphasizing the criticality of balancing economic activities with ecological preservation. These articles not only enrich our understanding but also serve as a clear call for coordinated efforts in safeguarding our marine ecosystems for future generations, aligning with the global pursuit of sustainable development.

Author contributions

PK: Conceptualization, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing. AP: Writing—original draft.

Funding

The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

Publisher's note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Keywords: marine resources and environment, coastal sustainable management, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), economic valuation, environmental policy, marine ecosystem

Citation: Koundouri P and Plataniotis A (2024) Editorial: One ocean, one climate, one future: environmental economics. Front. Environ. Econ. 2:1354990. doi: 10.3389/frevc.2023.1354990

Received: 13 December 2023; Accepted: 18 December 2023;
Published: 08 January 2024.

Edited and reviewed by: Xunpeng Shi, University of Technology Sydney, Australia

Copyright © 2024 Koundouri and Plataniotis. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Angelos Plataniotis, aplataniotis@econ.uoa.gr

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.