Oceans, Forests & Natural Resources
The Blue Economy
The economic activities that depend on oceans - fishing, shipping, tourism, energy - and the push to grow them sustainably.
Oceans cover more than 70 percent of the Earth’s surface and support a wide range of economic activities. The idea of the blue economy is to use ocean resources for economic growth and jobs while keeping oceans healthy.
What the ocean economy includes
- Fisheries and aquaculture, providing food and livelihoods for hundreds of millions of people.
- Shipping and ports, carrying most of world trade.
- Coastal and marine tourism.
- Offshore energy, including oil, gas and increasingly offshore wind.
- Marine biotechnology.
- Desalination.
The OECD has estimated the ocean economy’s output at about 1.5 trillion dollars in 2010 and projected it could double by 2030.
Pressures on the oceans
Oceans face serious threats: overfishing, pollution including plastics, rising temperatures, acidification from absorbed carbon dioxide, and damage to coral reefs and mangroves. These threaten the very industries that depend on them.
Tools for sustainability
- Marine protected areas: zones where fishing and other activities are limited. Studies show well-managed protected areas can increase fish populations, sometimes benefiting nearby fisheries through “spillover”.
- Sustainable fisheries management, such as catch limits.
- Offshore wind, a growing source of clean energy.
- Protecting mangroves and reefs, which shield coasts from storms.
In 2023, UN members agreed the High Seas Treaty, formally the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, providing a framework for creating protected areas on the high seas. It reached the number of ratifications needed to enter into force in 2025.
Mangrove forests along coasts absorb wave energy and reduce damage from storms and tsunamis. Research after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and cyclones in India suggested that areas with healthy mangroves suffered less damage in some places. Protecting mangroves can be cheaper than building sea walls, while also supporting fisheries.
India’s blue economy
India has a long coastline and a large exclusive economic zone. Its ports, fisheries, coastal tourism and offshore resources are important to its economy, and the government has developed policies to promote a sustainable blue economy.
Healthy oceans are the foundation of fishing, tourism and coastal protection. Overexploiting them undermines future income. Protecting ocean health is often the best way to sustain the ocean economy.
- The blue economy covers fishing, shipping, tourism, offshore energy and more.
- The OECD estimated ocean economic output at about 1.5 trillion dollars in 2010.
- Overfishing, pollution, warming and acidification threaten ocean industries.
- Marine protected areas, sustainable fishing, mangrove protection and the High Seas Treaty support sustainability.
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