Sustainable Oceans Management Under the Vision of Carbon Neutrality

The ocean is constantly being explored for new uses of its space and resources, leading to a steady increase in the economic value it provides. Existing and potential new economic activities related to oceans, seas, and coasts—the so-called ocean economy, or blue economy—thus cover a wide range of interlinked established and emerging sectors. The value of the global ocean economy is an estimated US$2.5trn annually, equivalent to the size of the world’s seventh-largest economy and China’s gross ocean product has been estimated to RMB 3.41 trillion in 2021, accounting for 8% of China’s overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The long-term potential for innovation, employment creation and economic growth offered by the ocean economies in the future is impressive. It must be pointed out that the ocean economy is highly dependent on the marine spatial environment and resource endowment. Essentially, its economic value is determined by the value of the products and services provided by the marine space and its ecosystem.