66 countries ranked based on ocean environment, activity, innovation and policy
The MIT Technology Review released its inaugural Blue Technology Barometer report, ranking 66 countries and territories with large or economically significant ocean coastlines on their progress and commitment toward ocean sustainability.
Delivered in partnership with Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, Morgan Stanley and Infosys, the research, analysis, and index scores each country or territory with an overall ranking, as well as providing scores across four pillars: ocean environment, marine activity, technology innovation, and policy and regulation. For overall performance across all four pillars, Canada has earned a tenth-place ranking amongst the top blue technology leaders.
“Canada has come in tenth overall for its commitment to and advancement in the sustainable blue economy. This ranks them with other global leaders, coming in just below South Korea and slightly ahead of Japan. Canada performed particularly well in the category of ocean environment in carbon reducing activity with advances in the electrification of marine vessels for example,” said Francesca Fanshawe, editorial director, custom content at MIT Technology Review.
Also noteworthy is the seventh-place ranking in policy and regulation. The Ocean Supercluster attributes this, in part, to the Federal Government’s bold innovation policy. “In 2018, Canada put forward-thinking innovation policy into action through the establishment of the Innovation Superclusters program,” said Kendra MacDonald, CEO of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster. “Now three years later the Ocean Supercluster and its almost 450 members from across Canada are tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges in ocean, garnering attention globally.”
MacDonald says she’s encouraged by the report because it illustrates key areas of progress in sustainable ocean growth and policy that will contribute to even further advancements and increased global competitiveness for Canada. “Canada can be a leader in the global blue economy and we’re making significant progress, but there’s much to do.” She adds Canada needs to continue to focus on the development of its technology innovation ecosystem which is being driven by the Ocean Supercluster together with organizations across the country.
The report draws attention to key areas for consideration in the global blue economy including a call to action and the need for increased technology in the cryosphere, which includes Canada’s Arctic:
Every economy in the world, and particularly ones with maritime industries and communities dependent on ocean coastal ecosystems, needs to do more to mitigate the effects of their activities on the ocean and life in the cryosphere, or frozen areas of the planet. This requires a mixture of actions and an accelerated use of new technologies.
Given the opportunities and challenges in our ocean is far greater than any one country or territory, the need for cross-border collaboration was highlighted, as well as the need for coordinated efforts between ocean health and resilience and land-based efforts on the path to decarbonization.