The blue economy is a sustainable economic model that encompasses all activities that depend directly or indirectly on the sea. It plays a strategic role in the transition toward carbon neutrality. According to data from the OECD, it generates around 3.5 trillion dollars and accounts for nearly 3% of global GDP. Experts also emphasize its dual role. On the one hand, it acts as a catalyst for investment and for business and employment opportunities. On the other hand, it promotes sustainability and the conservation of biodiversity.
In Spain alone, for example, around 690,000 people work in jobs linked to a wide range of marine-related activities, from fishing and aquaculture to trade, mineral extraction, renewable energy, manufacturing, and transport. Taken together, all of these activities, with the sea as their central pillar, make up what is known as the Blue Economy.
The sea as a source of energy
The European Commission's report on the blue economy highlights the importance of this sector in the region. Ekaterina Zaharieva, European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation, points to solid, dynamic and competitive growth, contributing around 250 billion euros to the EU economy and providing jobs for nearly five million people.
"It offers countless opportunities for innovation, economic diversification, job creation, competitiveness, climate neutrality and sustainability," the report states at the outset.
One of the sector's strengths, although still relatively little known, is the capacity of the marine environment to generate renewable energy, supporting the decarbonization of the economy. The European Union reports that it currently has an installed capacity of 18.9 GW across 11 countries, with a far more ambitious target of reaching 317 GW by 2050.
The sea's contribution goes beyond offshore wind technology; those wind turbines installed far from the coast to produce efficient renewable energy, which today represents a global capacity of 83 GW. A number of emerging systems are also drawing the attention of professionals, governments, and investors.
- Tidal energy: harnesses the rise and fall of tides to drive turbines that generate electricity. The leading countries in this growing technology are South Korea, France, and the United Kingdom.
- Wave energy: captures the movement of ocean waves. This technology is more dependent on weather conditions and wind, but it has significant potential. In Spain, the Mutriku plant was installed in 2011 and became the first wave power facility in Europe to commercialize the electricity it produces, using 16 compressed air turbines.
- Ocean currents: convert the kinetic energy of marine currents into electricity using systems similar to wind turbines but installed underwater.
- Salinity gradients: the newest of all, these technologies use differences in salt concentration between seawater and river water to generate energy through osmotic processes.
- Ocean thermal energy: harnesses the thermal energy of the sea based on the temperature difference between surface waters and deep waters, provided that the thermal gradient is at least 20 degrees Celsius.
The driving force of sustainability
The blue economy's potential is not limited to technology or economic figures. Organizations such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) believe it can also deliver essential benefits for current and future generations while restoring and maintaining diverse ecosystems.
To support this goal, UNEP launched a best practices guide in 2018 and, in subsequent years, rolled out aid programs in countries such as Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda in the Caribbean. In these initiatives, UNEP works with local governments to advance decarbonization, protect marine ecosystems, and engage coastal communities to improve energy autonomy.
Other initiatives, such as the World Economic Forum's Global Future Council on the Regenerative Blue Economy, aim to serve as a meeting point for experts from finance, public administration, academia and civil society to consolidate sustainability in the development of the blue economy.
To achieve this, they advocate stronger integration of public policy and scientific knowledge, alongside innovation in financial instruments that reduce risk and accelerate investment in solutions that balance global benefits with those of local communities and, ultimately, nature itself.
