Reimagining Ocean Futures Beyond Growth

Important notice: This thematic issue will be published in two parts with differing deadlines for each part, but will remain as one thematic issue.

As oceans and societies reliant on the ocean economy face mounting pressires, it is increasingly clear that current models of ocean development rooted in economic growth are neither sustainable nor just. The dominant “blue growth” paradigm, which seeks to expand ocean-based industries under the guise of sustainability, often sidelines social and ecological justice in favour of profit and productivity. This special issue will explore what lies beyond blue growth, focusing instead on pathways that centre human and ecological wellbeing, justice, long-term resilience, decolonial perspectives, and degrowth, in coastal and oceanic contexts. Papers are invited that critically examine how emerging concepts such as blue degrowth, post-growth governance, and the wellbeing economy can inform a new paradigm for ocean sustainability.

We invite interdisciplinary contributions, from across the social sciences, humanities and environmental sciences, especially those that interrogate and move beyond blue growth, incorporate Global South views, indigenous scholars and research at the intersection of marine governance, wellbeing and socio-ecological transformation. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Blue degrowth and post-growth marine economies: exploring limits to growth in the ocean economy and the potential for degrowth for fostering equity and sustainability.
• Alternative metrics of wellbeing and success in coastal regions: developing new indicators rooted in quality of life, ecosystem health and cultural values.
• Just transitions for fisheries, shipping, and marine tourism: analysing how livelihoods and labour can be restructured for justice and sustainability.
• Ocean governance rooted in care, reciprocity and communing: reimagining governance models that prioritise relational ethics, stewardship and community agency.
• Indigenous and local knowledge systems in marine stewardship: valuing traditional ecological knowledge and indigenous governance as vital components of ocean sustainability.
• Social dimesnions of marine protected areas and conservation: examining equity, access and participation in marine spatial planning and biodiversity conservation.
• Degrowth narratives in ocean climate adaptation and mitigation: unpacking how degrowth principles can inform equitable responses to climate impacts in marine and coastal zones.
• Transforming finance and investment for regenerative ocean futures: investigating how capital can be redirected towards regenerative models that support community-led, socially-equitable and ecologically sound practices.
• Regenerative business models and ownership structures: exploring coopeative, commons-based, or mission-driven enterprises that challenge profit-maximising logics and align with long-term ocean health and community resilience. 

We welcome empirical studies, conceptual papers, case studies and collborative commentaries.

Authors interested in submitting a paper for this issue are asked to consult the journal's instructions for authors and submit their abstracts (maximum of 250 words, with a tentative title) through the abstracts system (here). When submitting their abstracts, authors are also asked to confirm that they are aware that Ocean and Society is an open access journal with a publishing fee if the article is accepted for publication after peer-review (corresponding authors affiliated with our institutional members do not incur this fee).

Readers across the globe will be able to access, share, and download this issue entirely for free. Corresponding authors affiliated with any of our institutional members (over 90 institutions worldwide) publish free of charge. Otherwise, an article processing fee will be charged to the authors to cover editorial costs. We defend that authors should not have to personally pay this fee and encourage them to check with their institutions if funds are available to cover open access publication costs. Further information about the journal's open access charges can be found here.