Activity: Attending an event › Conference organisation or participation
Description
Oceans have always imbued seafarers with fear: fear of storms, pirates and ship- wreck, or fear of the creatures that live beneath the surface. This year’s conference theme suggests that such fears may be resurfacing, be it in a different shape. People are becoming increasingly afraid of what our soci- eties have unleashed: the realities of sea level rise, climate change, pollu- tion, overfishing and biodiversity loss. Or perhaps Blue Fear is not so much about these biophysical changes themselves, though, but how they affect the lives of coastal and island habitants, the people whose livelihoods and identities have been intertwined with the coast and the sea for centuries. And it is not only nature that is causing them worry. New blue industries are materializing and claiming space and resources, thereby threatening to squeeze out old and established users.