With the growth of the green economy, coastal communities want to benefit

With governments and institutions pledging billions upon billions for offshore wind, clean shipping and ocean protection at the Our Ocean Summit held in Mombasa last month, countries are increasingly turning to the ocean as a source of jobs and climate change.

But civil society groups warn that the drive to expand the “green economy” could produce widespread inequality unless coastal communities have a greater say in how projects are designed, supported and governed.

Neville van Rooy of The Green Connection in South Africa, which works with coastal communities that rely directly on the sea for their livelihoods, said local people are often unaware of proposed developments until civil society organizations inform them.

“Communities need to be taken seriously,” van Rooy told delegates at the Mombasa conference on the Indian Ocean coast.

With governments and institutions pledging billions upon billions for offshore wind, clean shipping and ocean protection at the Our Ocean Summit held in Mombasa last month, countries are increasingly turning to the ocean as a source of jobs and climate change.

But civil society groups warn that the drive to expand the “green economy” could produce widespread inequality unless coastal communities have a greater say in how projects are designed, supported and governed.

Neville van Rooy of The Green Connection in South Africa, which works with coastal communities that rely directly on the sea for their livelihoods, said local people are often unaware of proposed developments until civil society organizations inform them.

“Communities need to be taken seriously,” van Rooy told delegates at the Mombasa conference on the Indian Ocean coast.

“The fact that they are always struggling does not mean that they do not have a vision for development. Coordination must be a priority and development methods must be based on the experience of communities, including traditional knowledge programs that focus on harmony with the environment.”

Investment in the sea is coming

The value of the blue economy—the sustainable use and protection of marine resources—has doubled from $1.3 trillion in 1995 to $2.6 trillion in 2020 and is expected to quadruple by 2050, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The level of ambition in Mombasa was clear, as governments, institutions, companies and civil society announced 320 commitments worth $6.4 billion.

The largest share went to sustainable economy projects, with 86 commitments worth $2.86 billion, followed by sustainable fisheries with $1.75 billion and ocean climate action with $1.18 billion.

These pledges included support for marine initiatives in Africa, coastal ecosystem restoration across the Indian Ocean, marine research and policy, recycling of discarded fishing nets, sustainable livelihoods in Timor-Leste and tools for coastal air planning.

Cynthia Barzuna, deputy global director of the Ocean Program at the World Resources Institute, said there are signs that green finance and ocean planning are coming closer to coastal communities, especially through the development of sustainable ocean programs.

By 2020, a group of 14 countries – co-led by Australia and Chile – committed to managing their oceans sustainably, by working with coastal communities to improve how marine resources are managed and where investment should go.

“If communities participate in planning, bring their knowledge, and participate in the design, development and implementation of a sustainable ocean system, it puts us on the right path,” Barzuna told Climate Home News on the sidelines of the conference.

Yet some of those countries – including Kenya, Australia and Mexico – have embarked on a new wave of offshore oil and gas projects, threatening biodiversity hotspots, according to a recent report by a group of environmental NGOs.

When projects go wrong

Civil society groups say lessons should be learned from failed green economy initiatives.

In Kenya, a proposed coal-fired power plant in Lamu Harbor – a fragile coastal zone and a UNESCO World Heritage site – was challenged by residents and campaigners who cited scant consultation and threats to fisheries, tourism, culture and public health.

In 2019, Kenya’s National Environment Tribunal revoked its environmental license, citing insufficient public participation and flaws in the environmental assessment – a decision later upheld by the courts.

“It is not enough to say that whatever you are doing on behalf of the communities, livelihoods and anything else you want to improve”, but they should be directly involved in the programs from the beginning, said Omar Elmawi, a Kenyan climate activist and Convenor of the Africa Movement of Movements.

He said that another lesson we have learned is that the environmental impact assessment must not only be completed, but “must be done rigorously” and that the process must be transparent so that people feel involved and that their views are counted.

The blue transition

Blue carbon schemes can also attract funding, but campaigners say communities that have long protected mangroves, seagrasses and salt marshes should be treated as rights holders, not just beneficiaries. In some past projects, they said, communities were asked to provide labor, attend negotiations or receive small payments, while outside developers continued to control carbon revenue and decisions about how the environment was managed.

Similarly, coastal and marine shelters can bring climate and conservation benefits, but if planned badly, they can disrupt fishing grounds, marine life and the access of subsistence fishermen to the sea, campaigners added.

Farida Aliwa, executive director of Natural Justice, said the answer is not to stop marine-based development, but to put strong safeguards in place before projects are approved, funded and scaled up.

Aliwa said legal frameworks across Africa are developing, and case law is increasingly being used to hold governments accountable for the environmental, climate and human rights impacts associated with new projects.

But he warned that communities and coastal protectors are still facing a shrinking public space, saying any shift to renewable energy must be done the right way.

“As we work on alternatives, we need to ensure that renewable projects benefit the communities,” he said.