Utilitarianism and weak sustainability: A corpus analysis of the representation of the sea by the UK Government (2010–2023)

This article explores how the sea is represented in the UK government’s communications by applying corpus linguistic analysis to textual data. The findings reveal a dominant discourse that frames the sea primarily as an economic asset, emphasizing investment and sustainable exploitation understood as resource preservation. Emotional and social dimensions of sustainability are noticeably underrepresented, while narratives surrounding the sea are shaped by managerial, territorial, and threat-based framings. This utilitarian portrayal hinders the development of ocean citizenship, which requires a deeper, emotional connection with the sea . By identifying these narrative imbalances, the article contributes to scholarly discussions on ‘sea blindness’ and ocean citizenship by showing how such a discourse may obscure the sea’s social and environmental significance, limiting public engagement and stewardship. The article argues for a rebalancing of these narratives to include more emotionally resonant and hopeful communication strategies that highlight the intrinsic value of the marine environment beyond its economic value. Key recommendations include shifting from technical to affective language, promoting positive imagery of ocean protection, and favouring the term ‘ocean’ over ‘sea’ to evoke a global sense of stewardship and belonging. • A corpus linguistics analysis of HMG’s textual production on the sea. • Over 19,000 HMG webpages analysed. • The dominant narrative on the sea centres on economic benefits; it needs to be protected because it is a valuable resource. • The narrative on the sea is technical and lacks emotion. • Ocean citizenship requires public communication to cultivate a plural and emotional relationship with the sea.