The Blue Commons: Rescuing the Economy of the Sea

The Blue Commons is a groundbreaking book that highlights the urgent need to protect the world's oceans from corporate exploitation and corruption. It offers a transformative worldview and new set of proposals that prioritize the rights of local communities, the well-being of all people, and the health of the oceans. The book is a must-read for anyone who cares about creating a sustainable future.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 592 pages
Publication date: 06 April 2023
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

The Blue Commons is a groundbreaking book that has been recognized as one of the best economics books of 2022 by The Financial Times. It is a comprehensive synthesis, a searing analysis, and an inspiring call to action. The book is written by Guy Standing, a renowned campaigning economist known for his innovative solutions to inequality.

The book explores the threat posed by rentier capitalism, which involves the violent policies of extraction, exploitation, and depletion of the common resources, including the sea and all its inhabitants. Standing argues that giant corporations, aided by global finance and complicit states, are plundering the world's oceans, following the neoliberal maxim of "Blue Growth." The situation is dire, with rampant exploitation and corruption driving 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. Standing provides a comprehensive synthesis of the global problem, highlighting the scale of exploitation and corruption that is taking place. He also offers a toolkit for all of us to rise up and tackle the issue. The book provides examples of how large nations bully smaller nations into giving up eco-friendly fishing policies, as well as the profiteering by the Crown Estate in commandeering much of the British seabed.

Standing argues that the oceans have been left out of calls for a Green New Deal, but they must be included. The book provides a vision for a sustainable future, where the oceans are protected and managed for the benefit of all. It calls for a shift towards a circular economy, where waste is minimized and resources are reused and recycled.

The Blue Commons is a powerful and visionary book that is essential reading for all who yearn for a better world. It provides a clear understanding of the threat posed by rentier capitalism and offers practical solutions for a sustainable future. The book is a testament to the resilience and creativity of human beings in the face of adversity, and it inspires us to take action to protect our planet and its resources.

Weight: 312g
Dimension: 180 x 110 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780241475881