Ocean Tech Futures
Sustainability and Futures Research, Mar 2024 - Present
Overview
The blue economy is growing rapidly, with new products and devices being deployed in the oceans globally. The New England states depend heavily on the oceans for its economy in fishing and aquaculture, tourism, trade and shipping, and now renewable energy.
Using what's commonly called STEEP (social, technological, economic, environmental and political) to contextualize drivers of change, recent trends, and to imagine preferred future scenarios and their potential roadmaps.
Team and Role
Big Dreams Studio, RI
Alyssa Bishop (Strategy Director)
Arvind Bhallamudi (Strategy & Design)
Led the research, strategy and synthesis of the STEEP report and storytelling and pitch deck for Possibility Ocean 2025.
Interviews with: Zoe Lee, Yashwant Meghare, Liam Van Vleet
Services
- Market and Industry Research
- Informative Interviews with Stakeholders
- Trends, Drivers and Scenarios Mapping
- Futures Thinking and Strategy
- Conference Design
Risk of Global Ecological Catastrophes
The aggressive pursuit of oceanic resources risks pushing fragile ecosystems into a catastrophic collapse. Without establishment and stewardship of marine protected areas, exploitation of these resources will add to the irreversible disruption seen on land.
A Frontier for Human Growth and Productivity
A vast, untapped frontier for natural capital, from renewable energy sources to deep-sea mining. It can drive development and the quality of life, but only if managed justly, preserving marine ecosystems and equitable distribution.
The oceans are warming at record levels each year, with large-scale effects in acidification, stratification, extreme weather events, biodiversity loss, sea level rise and beyond.
As institutions are capitalizing on ocean ecosystem services and resources, it is critical to be mindful of its impacts on marine organisms, their habitats and build interconnected systems.
CURRENT SCENARIO
How can we balance economic growth with ecological conservation for a healthy, integrated blue economy?
RESEARCH SCOPE
1) What are the current trends and drivers in ocean technologies and what futures do they inform?
2) How can we bring together scientists, entrepreneurs and leaders to collaborate on a common goal?
PROCESS
Primary and secondary research was conducted to understand what is important to key stakeholders, and what gaps might be pertinent to explore. I built descriptions of macro-level drivers of change, and current and emerging trends that can inform our thinking and future scenarios.
This process helped develop plausible and preferrable contexts that reveal new users, new needs, and new application spaces to consider. We ideate in these spaces, and are planning a conference in 2025 for multifaceted illustrations that provoke new thought and explorations in the industry.
