The World Economic Forum has launched the Global Future Council on the Regenerative Blue Economy. It will focus on providing insights toward sustainable and equitable ways to conduct sectors like maritime transport, coastal tourism, aquaculture and fisheries, and harnessing the world’s largest untapped source of renewable energy.
Chaired by Helle Herk-Hansen and Dr. Ussif Rashid Sumaila, the council will provide strategic guidance to help governments, investors, and businesses implement solutions that drive sustainable ocean economies forward. It is part of the Centre for Nature and Climate, which includes initiatives like Alliance of CEO Climate Leaders, the Global Plastic Action Partnership and One Trillion Trees Initiative.
The World Economic Forum Global Future Councils convene over 700 experts from academia, business, government, civil society and international organizations, operating as a time-bound think-tank, grouped in expertise-based thematic councils, to identify and disseminate transformative ideas with the potential for positive global impact.
The creation of the Global Future Council for the Regenerative Blue Economy is one of many signs that the crucial role of the ocean and the industries that operate within and around it are coming more into focus on a global scale. The ocean covers 72% of the planet and absorbs 90% of the heat from global warming, provides nearly half our oxygen and absorbs about a third of our CO2. It sustains life for billions of people as well as countless animals and plants.
The World Economic Forum noted that, while the sustainable blue economy is often cited as a key aspect of sustainable development, the ocean is still degrading rapidly.
