The potential of the Blue Economy
Plastic in the oceans is a problem we should take care of, over fishing is a problem that needs addressing, how about a proposal for the plastic. We know that more than 80% of all plastic in the oceans comes from 5 rivers in Asia. Why don’t we create a tariff on the goods coming from those countries telling them in no uncertain terms that this won’t be accepted anymore and the tariff only comes down if they tackle plastic pollution in their rivers and prove that to us. Those economies are all very export dependent, so they should feel the sting and cleaning up its rivers might cost less than lower exports for some of them. We like pricing things, lets price this.
While working in the Galápagos Islands in the late 1980s, I saw the interplay between the many interests on the islands: local fishermen taking advantage of the rich waters around in the archipelago; the research community building on the evolutionary theories discovered by Charles Darwin; the tourism sector responding to an ever-growing interest in the accessible and unique wildlife and fauna; and the rights of the Ecuadorian state to benefit from this national asset.
