Maritime sustainability: Navigating complex challenges and ecological footprints

The maritime industry holds significant importance in facilitating international trade and contributing to the overall well-being of societies. Maritime activities encompass significant ecological and social results, in addition to their economic value. For instance, carbon emissions from maritime transportation remain a significant challenge, necessitating the implementation of various strategies and technologies to mitigate the issue. Nevertheless, the concept of maritime sustainability encompasses various complex aspects that have significant social and environmental implications. There are ongoing conflicts concerning the sharing of ocean resources among various maritime stakeholders. One additional concern pertains to the environmental inequality that exists between high-income and low-income countries in terms of ship recycling and demolition. Herewith, this chapter considers the various facets of sustainability in the maritime industry, including a recent term of blue economy, where sustainable economics intertwines with ecological well-being. Extensive discussion is also provided on contemporary technological and systems approaches aimed at mitigating the detrimental environmental effects of maritime operations. By interweaving ethnoeconomics and the welfare of coastal communities, this chapter also provides an in-depth discussion on recent issues such as ethical consumerism of maritime resources and environmental injustice. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024.