Talk on climate change and the blue acceleration in Maine takes place in Lewiston [Video]

LEWISTON — It’s a topic facing coastal communities all over the country, but it’s of extra significance here in Maine. It’s known as “blue acceleration,” and is described by the Stockholm Resilience Centre as a race among diverse and often competing interests for ocean food, material and space.

Kanae Tokunaga, senior scientist in coastal and marine economics at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute, told a Great Falls Forum audience Thursday that the blue acceleration is happening at the same time that climate change is impacting the Gulf of Maine, meaning big changes are converging all at once.

During the discussion at the Lewiston Public Library, Tokunaga focused on the economic factors stemming from the huge growth in the “blue economy,” which includes marine shipping, aquaculture and offshore wind. But she also spoke about how climate change is causing Maine’s historic fisheries and newer industries to adapt.

Tokunaga said that in 2008, aquaculture …