Blue finance: How new investments are protecting the ocean economy

[2024]

We were recently featured in Finance Middle East, where our CEO, Alexandra Dempsey, discussed the growing importance of blue finance. In the article, Alexandra explores how innovative investments can protect the ocean economy and support sustainable development in marine conservation.

In Finance Middle East
By Beatriz Valero de Urquia
November 11, 2024

From blue bonds to ocean conservation funds, sustainable finance initiatives are focusing on future-proofing marine ecosystems.

What if there were no more fish in the sea? In 2022, a team of researchers found that, without a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, approximately 90% of all marine life will be at risk of extinction by 2100.

Over twenty thousand species could be lost, while human lives and livelihoods would be at great risk. In the words of oceanographer Dr Sylvia Earle, “No ocean, no life”.

Enter blue finance. Much like “green” investments, “blue” initiatives allocate funds towards projects that focus on water and wastewater management, marine ecosystem conservation and restoration, sustainable shipping, eco-friendly tourism and offshore renewable energy, among others. Not only are these strategies aimed at reducing carbon emissions and helping businesses meet their ESG targets; they also contribute to boosting and protecting the ocean economy, becoming vital for the health and wellbeing of the world at large.

From Students to Stewards: A Full-Circle Moment for J.A.M.I.N.

There are certain faces you never forget.

Over the years, hundreds of students have stepped into mangrove forests with us through the Jamaica Awareness of Mangroves in Nature (J.A.M.I.N.) program. I may not always remember every name, but I remember the expressions — the hesitation before stepping into thick mud, the laughter when someone loses a shoe, the look of surprise when they catch that unmistakable sulfur smell rising from the mangrove soil…

World Oceans Day: Protecting the Ecosystems That Protect Us

This World Oceans Day, the global community is being challenged to think differently about the ocean.

The 2026 World Oceans Day theme, “Reimagine: Beyond the World We Know, A New Relationship With Our Ocean,” invites us to recognize that the ocean is not something distant or separate from our lives. It regulates our climate, supports our economies, provides food for billions of people, and sustains the natural systems that make life on Earth possible.

Few places illustrate this connection more clearly than the coastal ecosystems that protect our shores and support marine life. While coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows are often…

From blue bonds to ocean conservation funds, sustainable finance initiatives are focusing on future-proofing marine ecosystems.

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