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DATA AVAILABILITY : Data is in the Annex ; A cross-sectoral Blue Economy (BE) approach that optimises the use of marine and aquatic resources in an environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive manner, is seen as a means of overcoming the challenges Africa faces including poverty, unemployment and infrastructure development. However, limited information about the state of the BE and associated implementation in Africa exists, despite several BE national and regional strategies or action plans having been developed. Understanding the state of the BE is necessary for better comprehension of the barriers to BE policy development and subsequent implementation. An assessment of the BE at various resolutions is provided; as well as the status of the application of the tools needed to develop the BE in accordance with the African Union’s Blue Governance Framework for the African Blue Economy Strategy. The findings show that BE development is lagging, with the exception of Seychelles and Mauritius, which have capitalised on various BE tools available. In most instances, the development of the BE still ensues in a siloed manner, often lacking cross-sectoral coordination and resulting in fragmented management systems that do not harmonise the potential synergies that an integrated approach would offer. From the synthesis of progress, it becomes apparent that the regional scale is also appropriate for developing future BE regulatory frameworks, as habitats are not necessarily confined to socio-political borders. The influence of regional organisations in developing the BE can support accountability with which to motivate member states in their BE progress. Most of the BE progress in Africa was initiated (financially or otherwise) by external organisations or financing organisations. This casts questions on the sense of autonomy Africa has in determining its future prospects for its BE. Nonetheless, the development of BE offers Africa the chance to achieve national sustainability objectives, improve regional ...

Abstract We apply an approach that theoretically connects processes at different scales within a sociotechnical sustainability transitions frame, focusing on individual actors. Drawing on interviews with actors involved in the electric mobility transition in Lower Saxony, Germany, we analyse actors’ narratives as revelatory of situated or ‘conjunctural’ knowledge, as viewed from a strong structuration perspective of sociotechnical change. The purpose is to shed a particular type of light on structure-agency processes. Strong structuration is an extended version of Giddens’ social theory that takes account of actors’ subjective experience of their situation, viewing this as both shaped by - and shaping of - structure, in the sense of rules that are internal and external to individuals. Here we show how actors’ narratives of their experiences and positions in the sociotechnical system reveal themes relevant to the on-going structuration electric vehicles in the case study region of Lower Saxony, Germany. We identify general ‘meta-narratives’ that span more than one individual, as well as personal narratives that are specific to individuals. In addition, the analytic value of narratives in transition literature is discussed.

The Marine Stewardship Council is the leader in seafood ecolabel certification. Despite its high impact in promoting sustainable fishing and securing price premiums, a large proportion of fisheries withdraw from the scheme during or after certification. We, therefore, investigate the factors influencing the likelihood of withdrawal. To achieve this, we analysed publicly available information from 301 fisheries that have embarked on the certification process using survival analysis methods to investigate the withdrawal rate. It was found that the fishing gear used, and geographical location were the principal factors affecting the likelihood of withdrawal and that the risk of withdrawal is greatest during the full-assessment process and the first five years of certification. Our study also reviews the uneven global expansion of MSC ecolabelling by region and identifies factors that influence withdrawal and need to be considered in fisheries entering MSC certification.

The processed marine fish sector represents an important component of small-scale marine fisheries in Benin. It plays a crucial role in terms of seafood provision and job creation in the country. However, its socioeconomic performance has been limitedly explored since few investigations have been dedicated to the sector over the past decades. This study investigated the value chain of processed marine fish (VC-PF), focusing on its functional, economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Data was collected using a mixed method approach via in-depth interviews ,(n = 35), quantitative surveys (n = 121), and direct observations. Results evidenced four nodes (fishing, processing, trading, and consumption) along the VC-PF. Adult and local men dominantly operated the fishing node, while the processing node was entirely handled by adult and local women. The trading node had a higher representation of women and a significant proportion of migrants. On average, 2321.4 kg of fish belonging to 21 species is processed annually in the sector, which generates an annual added value of 8217,756 €, corresponding to 3.67% of the GDP of the total fishery sector in Benin. Although the VC-PF's contribution to Benin's economic growth is still marginal, it was observed to be profitable and resilient. Unfortunately, the VC-PF has a negation protection (NPC<1), indicating limited or no protection for the domestic VC-PF against regional and international competition. Policy actions such as actors’ engagement, the promotion of environmentally friendly fishing and subsidised fishing and processing equipment provision are vital to sustain the sector.

The transition from gasoline-powered vehicles (GVs) to electric vehicles (EVs) is crucial for promoting green transportation. However, this transition poses challenges for mobility service providers (MSPs) due to increased operational costs. Motivating MSPs to adopt EVs and minimizing the negative impact on the urban transportation system requires effective strategies. Government agencies (Govs) commonly employ market-oriented instruments (e.g., carbon cap-and-trade schemes) and non-market-oriented instruments (e.g., the installment of emission reduction devices for GVs) to address emission reduction goals. In response to the Gov emission reduction policies, MSPs must decide whether to (i) replace their GVs with EVs and (ii) install emission reduction devices and purchase emission quotas for their GVs. The dynamics of emission quota supply and demand further influence equilibrium carbon prices in the carbon market. To capture the complex interactions between MSPs and the Gov, we propose a bilevel optimization model. Building upon this model, we consider two extensions: First, MSPs have the flexibility to adjust the number of operating vehicles. Second, there are heterogeneous MSPs, with some exclusively owning EVs and others owning GVs. Analytical findings reveal that MSPs benefit from replacing GVs with EVs only when the cost of EV replacement is less than or equal to the monetary benefit obtained by selling excess emission quotas in the carbon market. Moreover, as the Gov imposes stricter regulations, the EV replacement rate is more likely to increase, while the cumulative number of operating vehicles decreases, which ultimately passes on the emission reduction costs to travelers.

Information on past trends is essential to inform future predictions and underpin attribution needed to drive policy responses. It has long been recognised that sustained observations are essential for disentangling climate-driven change from other regional and local-scale anthropogenic impacts and environmental fluctuations or cycles in natural systems. This paper highlights how data rescue and re-use have contributed to the debate on climate change responses of marine biodiversity and ecosystems. It also illustrates via two case studies the re-use of old data to address new policy concerns. The case studies focus on (1) plankton, fish and benthos from the Western English Channel and (2) broad-scale and long-term studies of intertidal species around the British Isles. Case study 1 using the Marine Biological Association of the UK's English Channel data has shown the influence of climatic fluctuations on phenology (migration and breeding patterns) and has also helped to disentangle responses to fishing pressure from those driven by climate, and provided insights into ecosystem-level change in the English Channel. Case study 2 has shown recent range extensions, increases of abundance and changes in phenology (breeding patterns) of southern, warm-water intertidal species in relation to recent rapid climate change and fluctuations in northern and southern barnacle species, enabling modelling and prediction of future states. The case is made for continuing targeted sustained observations and their importance for marine management and policy development.

This chapter explores three of the challenges that public buyers face when designing public tenders to support smart urban mobility initiatives and when supervising the execution of the relevant contracts. First, the chapter covers emerging issues around access and re-use of transport data that may be hindering ‘outside of the box’ thinking and the deployment of artificial intelligence in this area. Second, it discusses some well-known ‘inside the box’ regulatory issues around the exercise of discretion in the choice of sustainable technological solutions, the constraints surrounding certain types of complex and collaborative procurement, and the difficulties in monitoring contract compliance clauses. Third, the chapter arrives at the realisation that the main challenges in delivering and supporting smart urban mobility through procurement relate to the higher-level or cross-cutting challenges of the professionalisation of the procurement workforce and the need to bridge significant (and growing) knowledge gaps. It thus explores existing policy interventions aimed at the professionalisation and networking of procurement officials. The chapter concludes with some overall reflections, and a call for a more active role to be taken by the new Von der Leyen Commission.

A case study approach is used to present causal evidence from the United Kingdom on the impact of neighborhood design on travel behavior. “Sustainable travel to work” is defined as including walking, cycling, and travel by bus or light rail. Travel-to-work data are derived from the British Census 2001 for two groups of carefully selected neighborhoods–- those exhibiting either a high or a low incidence of sustainable travel-to-work patterns. A questionnaire was used to capture dimensions of neighborhood attitudes and preferences, socioeconomic characteristics, and car-travel characteristics in the northeast of England. The results offer microscale evidence by using a cross-sectional design to investigate the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and travel behavior and by using multivariate analysis to explore differences between neighborhood groups for socioeconomic variables, travel attitudes, and perceived neighborhood characteristics. The neighborhood group with a high incidence of sustainable travel to work is shown to have a higher potential to travel farther, and the neighborhood group with a low incidence of sustainable travel to work is shown to have a higher potential to use public transport. These results imply a policy dilemma about how public preferences for improved travel accessibility should be met by local authorities.

The Chinese government has released plenty of incentive policies to stimulate the diffusion rate of electric vehicles (EV) and the number of public charging stations, such as charging parking lots (PLs). This paper explores cooperative relationships between regional governments and PL owners in the process of investment in EV charging equipment, and a bi-level optimization model is built to examine their hierarchical relationships. Karush-Kuhn-Tucker conditions are utilized to solve the NP-hard problem. Five PLs in Chengdu are selected as examples to examine the validity of this model. The optimal allocation decision of the government and the optimal investment decisions of PL owners are concluded through the calculation results. Compared with non-graded subsidies, the priority of the graded subsidy rules is confirmed. In line with the calculation results, subsidies can promote investors to provide more charging services, and a graded allocation rule can maximize the incentive performance of subsidies.