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Pelican Books #44
The Blue Commons: Rescuing the Economy of the Sea
A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST ECONOMICS BOOK OF 2022
'A landmark book... The Blue Commons is at once a brilliant synthesis, a searing analysis, and an inspiring call to action.' - David Bollier
'With remarkable erudition, passion and lyricism, Guy Standing commands the reader to wake up to the threat posed by rentier capitalism's violent policies for extraction, exploitation and depletion of that which is both common to us all, but also vital to our survival: the sea and all within it.' - Ann Pettifor
'Shines a bright light on the economy of the oceans, directing us brilliantly towards where a sustainable future lies.' - Danny Dorling
'This is a powerful, visionary book - essential reading for all who yearn for a better world.' - Jason Hickel
The sea provides more than half the oxygen we breathe, food for billions of people and livelihoods for hundreds of millions. But giant corporations are plundering the world's oceans, aided by global finance and complicit states, following the neoliberal maxim of Blue Growth. The situation is dire: rampant exploitation and corruption now drive all aspects of the ocean economy, destroying communities, intensifying inequalities, and driving fish populations and other ocean life towards extinction.
The Blue Commons is an urgent call for change, from a campaigning economist responsible for some of the most innovative solutions to inequality of recent times. From large nations bullying smaller nations into giving up eco-friendly fishing policies to the profiteering by the Crown Estate in commandeering much of the British seabed, the scale of the global problem is synthesised here for the first time, as well as a toolkit for all of us to rise up and tackle it.
The oceans have been left out of calls for a Green New Deal but must be at the centre of the fight against climate change. How do we do it? By building a Blue Commons alternative: a transformative worldview and new set of proposals that prioritise the historic rights of local communities, the wellbeing of all people and, with it, the health of our oceans.
'A landmark book... The Blue Commons is at once a brilliant synthesis, a searing analysis, and an inspiring call to action.' - David Bollier
'With remarkable erudition, passion and lyricism, Guy Standing commands the reader to wake up to the threat posed by rentier capitalism's violent policies for extraction, exploitation and depletion of that which is both common to us all, but also vital to our survival: the sea and all within it.' - Ann Pettifor
'Shines a bright light on the economy of the oceans, directing us brilliantly towards where a sustainable future lies.' - Danny Dorling
'This is a powerful, visionary book - essential reading for all who yearn for a better world.' - Jason Hickel
The sea provides more than half the oxygen we breathe, food for billions of people and livelihoods for hundreds of millions. But giant corporations are plundering the world's oceans, aided by global finance and complicit states, following the neoliberal maxim of Blue Growth. The situation is dire: rampant exploitation and corruption now drive all aspects of the ocean economy, destroying communities, intensifying inequalities, and driving fish populations and other ocean life towards extinction.
The Blue Commons is an urgent call for change, from a campaigning economist responsible for some of the most innovative solutions to inequality of recent times. From large nations bullying smaller nations into giving up eco-friendly fishing policies to the profiteering by the Crown Estate in commandeering much of the British seabed, the scale of the global problem is synthesised here for the first time, as well as a toolkit for all of us to rise up and tackle it.
The oceans have been left out of calls for a Green New Deal but must be at the centre of the fight against climate change. How do we do it? By building a Blue Commons alternative: a transformative worldview and new set of proposals that prioritise the historic rights of local communities, the wellbeing of all people and, with it, the health of our oceans.
576 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 7, 2022
16 people are currently reading
486 people want to read
About the author
Guy Standing
55 books174 followersGuy Standing is a British professor of Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and co-founder of the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN).
Standing has written widely in the areas of labour economics, labour market policy, unemployment, labour market flexibility, structural adjustment policies and social protection. His recent work has concerned the emerging precariat class and the need to move towards unconditional basic income and deliberative democracy.
Standing has written widely in the areas of labour economics, labour market policy, unemployment, labour market flexibility, structural adjustment policies and social protection. His recent work has concerned the emerging precariat class and the need to move towards unconditional basic income and deliberative democracy.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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March 6, 2023an excellent case study into the kind of thinking that needs to be done about the convergence of the economy and the environment. It also an excellent expose and concentration of the crimes perpetrated on the oceans in the name of GDP and profit.
but i wish to go further -though not without precedent: private property is the crime, and it's owners are the criminals. anything short of its abolition will be unable to sustain us, let alone save us. this book strides with one leg, detailing the devouring of the ocean with scant mercy for the monsters who would pursue the last fish to the ends of the earth and sell it for $50000 dollars to the japanese black market. but it also limps, one leg stuck trailing the digesting entrails of finance, property and law; the impoverished vocabulary of reform and regulation.
but i wish to go further -though not without precedent: private property is the crime, and it's owners are the criminals. anything short of its abolition will be unable to sustain us, let alone save us. this book strides with one leg, detailing the devouring of the ocean with scant mercy for the monsters who would pursue the last fish to the ends of the earth and sell it for $50000 dollars to the japanese black market. but it also limps, one leg stuck trailing the digesting entrails of finance, property and law; the impoverished vocabulary of reform and regulation.
December 4, 2022
Not an easy read, the situation of marine biodiversity loss is heart-wrenching. The author points out - through 500 pages - why neoliberal mechanisms (financialization, privatization etc.) can never be solutions to sustainability (a hard pill for me to swallow, personally).
He instead proposes the notion of blue commons (commoning, to common) to mitigate marine biodiversity loss, with a guideline on small-scale fishery resistance and Blue common capital fund (yes, still a financial instrument) but for the blue commonwealth (and that of communities and beings whose lives depend on the ocean).
He instead proposes the notion of blue commons (commoning, to common) to mitigate marine biodiversity loss, with a guideline on small-scale fishery resistance and Blue common capital fund (yes, still a financial instrument) but for the blue commonwealth (and that of communities and beings whose lives depend on the ocean).
December 17, 2023
Impressed by the breadth of Standing’s research into a wide range of problems related to the “economy” of the sea. I particularly liked the concept of the blue commons and the author's systemic critique of global ocean governance, as well as his critical approach to law/ what's legal vs. illegal. The author presents a comprehensive critique, and at the same time puts forward a very specific proposal for rethinking our current approach in a more holistic way.
Some of the sources seemed a little bit dated, but I guess that reflects the long-term nature of the project and the multiple years the author worked on this book. Overall, I thought this was extremely well written. It introduces a wide scope of interrelated issues. As I am personally still only beginning to better understand the interconnectedness of the oceans with basically everything else, I appreciated that this book was so accessible also to laypersons. Much to think about!
Some of the sources seemed a little bit dated, but I guess that reflects the long-term nature of the project and the multiple years the author worked on this book. Overall, I thought this was extremely well written. It introduces a wide scope of interrelated issues. As I am personally still only beginning to better understand the interconnectedness of the oceans with basically everything else, I appreciated that this book was so accessible also to laypersons. Much to think about!
May 20, 2024
Although a very interesting read and reflection the author sometimes clearly biased and frustrated tone takes away from its core message: we need to profoundly rethink our approach to the blue commons. Probably could have been said in half the pages with a similar result. Sometimes felt repetitive with a lot of examples against companies and governments.
August 12, 2025
I was hoping to read a deep delving work about ocean economy. Not everything about degrowth and especially environment protection is bad, but this one is unfortunately a communist manifesto with barely much scientific evidence but much ideology.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews