Blue opportunities for the Pacific Island Developing States (PIDS)

Excerpt from orfonline.org

The Pacific Island Developing States (PSIDS) are blessed with close proximity to the vast ocean and its resources. For inhabitants of landlocked countries and territories, or states that are far away from the ocean, a visit to the ocean is an experience of a lifetime. In the PSIDS, almost 90 percent of the people live within 10 kilometres of the ocean, which implies that many houses, businesses, and infrastructure are also in very close proximity to the ocean. The Pacific Ocean is not regarded as something that divides or separates the islands, instead it is considered to be something that connects them as the ocean is the means for transportation, trade, and many other forms of economic activity. It is also regarded as the ‘mother’, since it provides food, livelihoods, recreation, and solace for almost all inhabitants of the PSIDS. Therefore, the very existence and survival of the island nations are contingent upon the ocean.

The Pacific Ocean is not regarded as something that divides or separates the islands, instead it is considered to be something that connects them as the ocean is the means for transportation, trade, and many other forms of economic activity.

However, this proximity to the ocean brings about unique challenges exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. Slow onset events—like rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and salt-water intrusion with coastal flooding swallowing arable land and white sandy beaches—are all taking a huge toll and are impacting the lives of the people. The PSIDS are greatly resource-constrained and very vulnerable to these calamities as tourism, primary agricultural industries, and fisheries are the largest foreign exchange earners for many of the PSIDS. In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these countries are at the brink of an economic crisis. As a result, the notions of sustainable development, green transition, and blue economy (and their sister concepts), together with climate actions, are inseparable from each other as these serve as the foundations of developmental priorities and a sustainable future. All these point towards a common goal of achieving the development priorities set in the PSIDS’ respective national development plans.