What do you think?
Rate this book
The Oceanic Circle
This book's title is taken from Mohandas Gandhi's comparison of the social order to the ever-widening circles that result when a stone is dropped in the ocean. In much the same way, the governance of the world's oceans--as generated by the United Nations' 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea, and the subsequent conventions, agreements, and programs following the 1992 Rio Earth Summit--is now affecting the social order of the individual, the village, the nation, the region, and the global community. It is non-hierarchical, participatory, and multidisciplinary, and includes the private sector as well as governments. This emerging order has social, economic, cultural, environmental, and ethical aspects, and requires profound changes in the ways we deal with each other and with nature. An understanding of this new order is needed to solve urgent problems: over-fishing and stock depletion; pollution from oceanic, atmospheric, and land-based sources; climate and sea-level changes; and biodiversity conservation. Like life itself, the new order started in the ocean, which has been declared the common heritage of humanity, and is expanding to embrace the whole biosphere in "the majesty of the oceanic circle," leading to a more peaceful and equitable world order.
Hardcover
First published December 1, 1998
1 person is currently reading
63 people want to read
About the author
Elisabeth Mann Borgese
49 books4 followersElisabeth Mann Borgese, CM was the youngest daughter of Thomas Mann and his wife Katia Pringsheim, sister to Klaus, Erika, Golo, Monika and Michael Mann, sister-in-law to W.H. Auden, and niece of the novelist Heinrich Mann.
Elisabeth was born in Munich, Germany. The Mann family left Germany after Hitler came to power, moving first to Switzerland, and, in 1938, to the United States. She became a United States citizen in 1941, but took Canadian citizenship in 1983. In 1939 she married to the anti-fascist Italian writer Giuseppe Antonio Borgese (1882 – 1952), 36 years her senior, by whom she had two daughters, Angelica and Dominica.
She worked as an editor and researcher in Chicago, including two years as executive secretary of the board of the Encyclopædia Britannica in the mid-1960s. She early committed herself to the protection of the environment, in particular the oceans, and was one of the founding members – and for a long time the only female member – of the Club of Rome. As a recognized expert on maritime law and policy, she worked as a university professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. She died on a skiing holiday in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Among musicians, she is known for having translated Heinrich Schenker's Harmony into English.
In 1988, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. Her citation for this award read:
"A true citizen of the world, she has been involved with a number of global issues and has been a trusted spokesperson and defender of the rights of Third World countries. Currently Associate Director of the Lester Pearson Institute for International Development and an advocate of international co-operation, she is recognized as an authority on the Law of the Sea and is respected for her undisputed knowledge, her outstanding leadership abilities and her commitment to a better future for all."
In 1999, the National Maritime Museum awarded her its Caird Medal.
Elisabeth was born in Munich, Germany. The Mann family left Germany after Hitler came to power, moving first to Switzerland, and, in 1938, to the United States. She became a United States citizen in 1941, but took Canadian citizenship in 1983. In 1939 she married to the anti-fascist Italian writer Giuseppe Antonio Borgese (1882 – 1952), 36 years her senior, by whom she had two daughters, Angelica and Dominica.
She worked as an editor and researcher in Chicago, including two years as executive secretary of the board of the Encyclopædia Britannica in the mid-1960s. She early committed herself to the protection of the environment, in particular the oceans, and was one of the founding members – and for a long time the only female member – of the Club of Rome. As a recognized expert on maritime law and policy, she worked as a university professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. She died on a skiing holiday in St. Moritz, Switzerland.
Among musicians, she is known for having translated Heinrich Schenker's Harmony into English.
In 1988, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. Her citation for this award read:
"A true citizen of the world, she has been involved with a number of global issues and has been a trusted spokesperson and defender of the rights of Third World countries. Currently Associate Director of the Lester Pearson Institute for International Development and an advocate of international co-operation, she is recognized as an authority on the Law of the Sea and is respected for her undisputed knowledge, her outstanding leadership abilities and her commitment to a better future for all."
In 1999, the National Maritime Museum awarded her its Caird Medal.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
June 15, 2015
This is a great resource for anyone interested in the importance of ocean conservation, governance, and sustainability. This was published in 1998 and still remains relevant today. There has been incremental progress in the steps Elisabeth Mann Borgese has outlined here, but the challenge of proper ocean stewardship remains unmet, and anthropogenic impact increasingly presents deleterious affects for the pieces of this puzzle that screams for our calling.
As we approach the question of climate change the ocean needs to be considered at the forefront of ecological health. It represents 71% of the planet's surface area, over 90% of its habitable space and the majority of global overall ecosystem value. Not to mention it also provides 50% of the oxygen we breathe. Yet despite its enormity of contribution to mankind, we continue to exploit the ocean's resources and pollute its natural harmony. A recent WWF reported over 90% of fish stock are considered over-exploited or fully-exploited. Acidity through CO2 emissions is nearing irreversible damages to coral reef health, and at current rates we could lose all coral reefs by 2050. Temperature increase and rising waters through the polar caps melting have additionally damaged ecosystemic balance on a scale not seen in human history. According to the scientific consensus of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the speed at which these changes are occurring has no parallel in at least the last 65 million years.
The WWF's economic valuation of coastal and oceanic environments is conservatively estimate at US$2.5 trillion each year, with the overall value of the ocean as an asset amounting to 10 times that. Yet 70% of the annual value of ocean activity is dependent on the health of the ocean.
There is great possibility, however, through the ocean, to create new technologies and platforms of governance to benefit the greater good. The reparations necessary are prodigious, but manageable. With the right motives and backing, this challenge presents an opportunity for international relations, new technological development, and overall planetary health. Elisabeth Mann Borgese presents all of these concepts and then some, outlining a philosophy that contributes economical, ecological, and logical insight into the conversation.
As we approach the question of climate change the ocean needs to be considered at the forefront of ecological health. It represents 71% of the planet's surface area, over 90% of its habitable space and the majority of global overall ecosystem value. Not to mention it also provides 50% of the oxygen we breathe. Yet despite its enormity of contribution to mankind, we continue to exploit the ocean's resources and pollute its natural harmony. A recent WWF reported over 90% of fish stock are considered over-exploited or fully-exploited. Acidity through CO2 emissions is nearing irreversible damages to coral reef health, and at current rates we could lose all coral reefs by 2050. Temperature increase and rising waters through the polar caps melting have additionally damaged ecosystemic balance on a scale not seen in human history. According to the scientific consensus of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the speed at which these changes are occurring has no parallel in at least the last 65 million years.
The WWF's economic valuation of coastal and oceanic environments is conservatively estimate at US$2.5 trillion each year, with the overall value of the ocean as an asset amounting to 10 times that. Yet 70% of the annual value of ocean activity is dependent on the health of the ocean.
There is great possibility, however, through the ocean, to create new technologies and platforms of governance to benefit the greater good. The reparations necessary are prodigious, but manageable. With the right motives and backing, this challenge presents an opportunity for international relations, new technological development, and overall planetary health. Elisabeth Mann Borgese presents all of these concepts and then some, outlining a philosophy that contributes economical, ecological, and logical insight into the conversation.
Displaying 1 of 1 review