Quick Dips
Curated topical articles on the Blue Economy

‘Dangerous blindspot’: why overlooking blue carbon could sink us (Pt 3/3)

• Karen McVeigh, The Guardian

Exceptional new findings show the huge potential of salt marshes for sucking up carbon. But is it too late for blue carbon to save the world?

Read more → (6 minute read)


The Government of Belize partners with The Nature Conservancy to Conserve 30% of its Ocean Through Debt Conversion

• The Nature Conservancy

Innovative project is part of groundbreaking, global plan to fund ocean conservation while providing fiscal and economic benefits for coastal nations.

Read more → (7 minute read)


The ocean is too powerful to omit in the climate conversation

• Jankowska, E. et al., Race to Zero

Shifting the oceans dialogue from “victim” to “solution” is a game-changer.

Read more → (5 minute read)


Analysis: Belize offers ocean 'blue' print with debt-for-reef swap

• Marc Jones, Reuters

Belize provided a likely 'blue' model for conserving some of the world's most vulnerable marine ecosystems on Friday, swapping a promise to protect the northern Hemisphere's biggest barrier reef for much-needed debt relief.

Read more → (4 minute read)


The problem with blue carbon: can seagrass be replanted … by hand? (Pt 2/3)

• Karen McVeigh, The Guardian

Our incredible marine carbon sink is vanishing – and the only way to replace it is costly, labour-intense and takes years. Experts say it’s worth it.

Read more → (6 minute read)


Old Planes to Be Transformed Into 100-Passenger Electric Planes by 2026, Startup Announces

• Paige Bennett, EcoWatch • Energy Solutions

The aviation industry is responsible for about 2.5% of global emissions, and its climate impact is about 3.5% of all anthropogenic global warming.

Read more → (3 minute read)


Ocean to COP: coral reefs can help save the world

• World Ocean Initiative, The Economist Group

A guest blog by ocean leaders Peter Thomson (UN), Abdulla Naseer (Maldives) and Susan Lieberman (Wildlife Conservation Society).

Read more → (5 minute read)


5 Examples of Best Practice to Sustainably Finance the Marine Renewable Energy Sector

• UNEP FI • Energy Solutions

COP26 today focuses on accelerating the global transition to clean energy. The blue (ocean) economy offers many opportunities for private finance to lend and invest in a sustainable and nature-positive way.

Read more → (4 minute read)


Blue carbon: the hidden CO2 sink that pioneers say could save the planet (Pt 1/3)

• Karen McVeigh, The Guardian

With the ocean key to meeting 1.5C, all eyes are now on the vital but overlooked “big three” marine ecosystems – seagrass, mangroves and salt marshes.

Read more → (6 minute read)


World leaders announce plan to make green tech cheaper than alternatives

• Damian Carrington, The Guardian • Energy Solutions

A plan to coordinate the global introduction of clean technologies in order to rapidly drive down their cost has been agreed at the Cop26 summit by world leaders representing two-thirds of the world’s economy.

Read more → (5 minute read)


Misconceptions about offshore aquaculture refuted in new paper

• Rob Fletcher, The Fish Site • Fisheries & Aquaculture

The offshore aquaculture sector has faced dogged criticism that undermines public support, but a new paper addresses many of these misconceptions and outlines the industry’s role in shoring up food security in the United States.

Read more → (3 minute read)


Latin American countries join reserves to create vast marine protected area

• Dan Collyns, The Guardian • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Four Pacific-facing Latin American nations have committed to joining their marine reserves to form one interconnected area, creating one of the world’s richest pockets of ocean biodiversity.

Read more → (4 minute read)


COP26: The Great Melt - tales from the front lines of climate change

• Robin Pomeroy, World Economic Forum

Veteran environment journalist Alister Doyle shares stories from the UN conference halls to the remotest parts of the Earth facing global warming.

Read more → (3 minute read)


Maui Launches Stainless-Steel, Zero-Waste To-Go Container Program

• Tiffany Duong, EcoWatch • Plastics & Pollution

HuiZero, Hawaii's first zero-waste to-go container program, has just launched at participating restaurants across the island of Maui.

Read more → (3 minute read)


Nature-Based Solutions High on the Agenda for Glasgow Climate COP

• Thomas Hickey, The Pew Charitable Trusts • Energy Solutions

Protecting coastal wetlands is a ‘triple win’ for planet and people—and a model for future climate action.

Read more → (4 minute read)


The stage is set for seaweed startup success

• Rob Fletcher, The Fish Site • Fisheries & Aquaculture

Europe’s growing band of seaweed producers could be generating revenues of €2.7 billion and providing 85,000 jobs by 2030.

Read more → (6 minute read)


We mapped every large solar plant on the planet using satellites and machine learning

• Lucas Kruitwagen, The Conversation • Energy Solutions

We built a machine learning system to detect these facilities in satellite imagery and then deployed the system on over 550 terabytes of imagery using several human lifetimes of computing.

Read more → (4 minute read)


How a new platform is helping leaders in sustainable tourism build strong partnerships

• Stephanie Walden, Business Insider • Tourism

The not-for-profit The Sigmund Project connects sustainability-focused innovators in tourism.

Read more → (6 minute read)


A new blue finance model for the people

• World Ocean Initiative, The Economist Group

A guest blog from Karen Sack and Chip Cunliffe, co-chairs of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, on the freshly launched #BackBlue initiative.

Read more → (4 minute read)


How to make fragile global supply chains stronger and more sustainable

• Guitouni, A. et al., The Conversation • Shipping & Ports

For most of us, supply chains are no longer an abstract concept. The COVID-19 pandemic raised our awareness about the interdependence of our economic systems.

Read more → (5 minute read)