The term “blue economy” has been circulated among environmental commentators for years—usually meaning whatever the speaker wants it to mean. For some, it’s about sustainable fisheries and marine protected areas. For others, it’s a broad term that can encompass offshore wind, deep-sea mining, and blue carbon credits. And to skeptics, it’s a convenient buzzword that remains vague when it comes to measurable actions.
Until recently, the concept didn’t have an operational definition or a credible funding stream. That lets the term be understood in a range of ways, whether a corporate-friendly approach to conservation, or a new way to talk about extracting marine resources, sustainably or otherwise.
