Offshore wind power (OWP) and offshore energy hubs (OEHs) have recently become stable components of decarbonisation efforts across the EU. To this end, a plan to construct "Energy Islands" was institutionalised in Danish policy in 2020, alongside ambitions to scale up OWP capacity by 6 GW. However, in 2022, the Russia-Ukraine conflict altered the geopolitical landscape, rapidly changing prospects for OWP implementation. Inflation, uncertain energy market developments and annulment of an open-door scheme have negatively impacted OWP incentives in Denmark. This article utilises the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) to analyse symptoms, barriers, and proposed solutions to this development. It identifies how offshore energy policy 'windows' in Denmark are affected by shifting geopolitical landscapes across the EU from 2020 to 2026. To assess this, a thematic analysis of discourses surrounding OWP development is conducted, utilising themes appearing in the Problem, Policy and Politics streams of the MSF to frame the analysis. Data was gathered from six public events focusing on OWP development and from two focus group discussions. A document analysis of relevant policies and literature is conducted to support findings. Results indicate that the OWP window of opportunity has been at risk of closing due to significant shifts in deployment capabilities. Policy adaptations and new regulations can help mitigate geopolitical uncertainty and keep it open.
The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has set out a proposed Net Zero Framework aimed at reducing greenhouse gases emissions from international shipping. However, even if the Net Zero Framework is adopted, the IMO’s policies will be insufficient to meet its own 2030 global emission reduction targets. This creates an ambition gap that requires complementary regional and national action, though such measures raise challenges around duplication, efficiency and coordination. This article assesses the scope, ambition and policies of a national scale strategy developed by the UK Government, and its interactions with European Union and IMO policies. The article illustrates that the UK has not yet put in place adequate interventions to complement IMO policies in line with the global 2030 targets. It has, however, made improvements in the complicated and contested aspect of international shipping emissions accounting, which could be replicated elsewhere. It has also set a 2030 target to reduce domestic shipping emissions by 30% from 2008 levels, but this target needs to be both higher, to reflect the IMO’s “just and equitable transition” principle, and broader, to include the UK’s share of international shipping emissions, building on its own improvements regarding emission accounting. Incorporating the UK’s approach into the IMO’s guidance on National Action Plans and updating IMO accounting methodologies in line with the more accurate UK approach, could bolster other nations’ efforts to reduce shipping’s greenhouse gas emissions. This would support faster and more comprehensive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from international shipping.
Seagrass ecosystems support marine biodiversity, coastal resilience, and climate regulation, but are increasingly exposed to climate change and anthropogenic pressures. Indonesia contains globally significant seagrass resources and requires spatially explicit tools that translate ecological and climate information into management priorities. This study developed a quantitative framework for assessing seagrass climate vulnerability across 18 Indonesian study sites using ecological monitoring data, SST-based climate indicators for 1981–2018, and an independent emission-related pressure layer. Ecological condition and climate exposure were integrated into the Seagrass Climate Vulnerability Index (SCVI), and SCVI classes were combined with emission-pressure classes through the Seagrass Climate Risk Interaction Matrix (SCRIM). A symmetric sensitivity analysis across five ecological-versus-exposure weighting configurations showed high agreement among site rankings (Kendall’s W = 0.960), supporting the retention of equal weighting as a representative central estimate rather than an assumed reference. Results showed marked spatial heterogeneity: Ternate, Raja Ampat, and Karimunjawa were classified as relative high-risk sites, whereas Selayar, Makassar, and Sikka were identified as relative potential-refugia candidates under the low-SCVI–low-emission combination. The SCVI–SCRIM framework provides a transparent decision-support approach for preventive conservation, restoration targeting, enhanced monitoring, and pressure reduction in data-limited marine spatial planning contexts.
The 2025 Third United Nations Oceans Conference (UNOC3) called for “a strong science-policy interface to provide timely, credible and salient scientific and socioeconomic information to inform policies and action”. Renowned naturalist David Attenborough's narration of the recent film Ocean illustrates an important challenge to achieving that goal. It was released with much publicity in the lead-up up to UNOC3. The film presented a clear agenda and was intended to influence world leaders ahead of the Conference. In our view, while the film had merits, it presented over-simplistic and misleading messages about the nature of the challenges to the oceans and their solutions. Focused on the goal of a strong science-policy interface, this contribution examines the use of celebrities to influence public policy, the reasons for their influence, and the impacts they can have on the public and policy-makers. These impacts can lead to misguided and biased policies that will not achieve important societal objectives, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. The likelihood of flawed policies increases when the influence of celebrities on policy is based on other than the best available scientific information. To avoid or reduce the risk of this, we make recommendations on strengthening scientific advice and improving communication between scientists, policy-makers and the public. The media and celebrities could be important intermediaries in achieving this. Recommendations include scientists making greater efforts to improve communication and public trust in science, as well as other building blocks needed to ensure a sound scientific basis for policy and its implementation.
Co-management is essential for successful community-based fishery reserves such as Mexico’s Fishing Refuge Zones (FRZs), but they can be hindered by gaps in institutional capacity that undermine collaborative governance. This study analyzes the governance networks underpinning FRZs in Punta Allen and Maria Elena, two small-scale fishing communities within the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, Mexican Caribbean. Using a social-ecological system lens and social network analysis, we analyzed the structure, cohesion, and resilience of the governance networks of both communities, using semi-structured interviews and a weighted interaction index that integrates communication frequency and quality, trust, and collaboration. Results show structural differences between governance networks. Punta Allen exhibits a more decentralized, cohesive, and diversified network that links community actors, civil society organizations (CSOs), and government agencies, fostering multiple pathways for collaboration. María Elena presents a more centralized and segmented configuration, with strong dependence on CSOs and limited integration of governmental actors. Resilience simulations further demonstrate that decentralized structures maintain coordination under disturbance more effectively than centralized ones. Although FRZs are formally established by federal authorities, their local-level operational governance is sustained by informal social relationships that enable trust, reciprocity, and local coordination. Our findings show that FRZs can function as effective co-management instruments within MPAs, but their long-term viability requires strengthening institutional coordination, diversifying actor participation, and ensuring consistent governmental presence to reduce fragmentation. By diagnosing governance gaps and highlighting structural strengths, this study provides a transferable framework for improving the design, implementation, and policy uptake of community-based conservation and small-scale fisheries management initiatives.
