The blue economy: What is it and can it make ocean use sustainable?

euronews (in English)

The ocean plays a vital role in the world’s economy. But it is threatened by climate change and overexploitation. Could the blue economy help?

Transcript

00:00What do these fishermen, this container ship and your summer holidays at the beach have in common?

00:07Well, they all belong to the blue economy.

00:13From fishing and tourism to renewable energy and biotechnology, millions of people rely on the sea to make a living.

00:21In 2021 alone, the ocean or blue economy generated 624 billion euros in Europe and provided jobs for 3.6 million people.

00:32But the term blue economy has come to mean more than just business.

00:37More and more often, it's about keeping our oceans alive while we use their resources.

00:42The whole idea with having a sustainable blue economy is that you keep an ocean with good health.

00:49And by doing that, you also have a more productive ocean.

00:53Sounds like a win-win, right?

00:55But the trick is finding the sweet spot between economic growth and environmental responsibility.

01:00So how can we make the blue economy greener?

01:04Aquaculture is experimenting with algae-based fish feed.

01:07The shipping industry is testing hydrogen instead of fossil fuels.

01:11And offshore wind farms are making clean energy.

01:15But even clean solutions come with their own set of challenges.

01:18Take offshore wind energy.

01:20Yes, it generates some of the cleanest electricity on the planet.

01:24But building these massive turbines? Not so good.

01:27Environmental groups call out the disruptive noise generated during construction, which can harm marine life.

01:33The industry says it's working to fix that.

01:36The disturbances are mostly at the building stage.

01:40And in particular, piling offshore foundations is a big disturbance.

01:44It's extremely noisy.

01:46But the industry has learned a lot over the years in how to minimize and compensate those disturbances.

01:52So, for example, developers increasingly use bubble curtains when using these big hammers, basically,

02:01to pile in the substations to absorb some of the sound waves and minimize disturbance.

02:08And wind energy isn't the only sector walking a tightrope.

02:12Ocean tourism is adopting more sustainable practices.

02:16But some level of environmental damage remains inevitable.

02:20And hydrogen-powered ships could revolutionize transport.

02:23But most hydrogen is still produced using fossil fuels like gas, coal and oil.

02:28Only about 1 percent comes from renewable energy.

02:33So, while technologies are rapidly improving when it comes to sustainability,

02:38it's not always possible to eliminate harmful consequences for the planet completely.

02:43But what matters more is reducing the environmental footprint as much as possible,

02:47while planning ahead for what's coming.

02:50A potential attractive way is to factor in the knowledge we have about future climate change

02:56into today's decision making and management.

03:00Because if you invest in an infrastructure like a wind farm that should stay in the ocean for 40 years

03:07and you place it where it's optimal today,

03:11that will not be the situation 5 years from now or 10 years or 40 years from now.

03:18The clock is ticking.

03:20Right now, emissions from many blue economy sectors are still climbing.

03:24Maritime transport alone is responsible for 3 to 4 percent of EU CO2 emissions.

03:29And if nothing changes, those emissions could be at least 90 percent higher by 2050 than they were in 2008.

03:37Other industries are also exploring the deep sea for new resources.

03:41Deep sea mining is controversial.

03:43Some say it's crucial for producing green tech, while others warn it could destroy fragile ecosystems.

03:50In the end, the challenge of the blue economy is clear.

03:53How do we ensure that exploiting the ocean today doesn't come at too high a price in the future?

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