Seaport ecology in seaport ecologization: Yesterday’s concern, today’s footnote?

¹ UMR AMURE – IUEM – UBO, Plouzané, France
² UMR LETG – IUEM – UBO, Plouzané, France

Abstract

Ecologization refers to taking environmental issues into account in human activities in order to reduce their footprint. In the context of the energy transition, decarbonisation now seems to be prioritised over all other considerations. From this point of view, a paradigm shift seems to have taken place. Ports, which are by nature subject to very high anthropogenic pressure, have seen their footprints expand to meet the contingencies of their time (industrial port areas, gigantism, poldering). Ports have had to comply with these new environmental requirements for all their adaptation and modernisation projects (e.g. dykes or dredging). However, the emergence of ecological and energy transitions has led to a conceptual ambiguity between ecologization and decarbonization. Building on a semantic and analytical framework, the paper defines port ecologization et port ecology and provides a theoretical model for observing the phenomenon of ecologization in these areas. An exploratory analysis of French decentralized ports, based on their websites, tend to reveal their ecologization trajectories. The reflections presented below are part of the work carried out within the framework of the Chaire Transitions Portuaires et Maritimes hosted by the University of Brest Foundation.