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?
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
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?