Investing in Ocean Resilience: A Sea Change in Climate Finance
By Karen Sack, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance
A regenerative and sustainable blue economy represents a trillion-dollar frontier investment opportunity with the potential to generate significant returns for investors while advancing social and environmental goals.
The importance of coastal and ocean ecosystems to the global economy cannot be overstated. Coastal regions are home to almost half of all economic activity and 40 percent of the world’s population. Coastal floods and storm surge already cost the world between USD$10-40 billion dollars a year, projected to reach USD$1 trillion annually by 2050, yet less than one percent of climate finance is invested into coastal nature-based solutions.
The Ocean is living capital and a highly undervalued asset class. When we invest in its health, we invest in our own. The cost of inaction far outweighs the price of progress. To turn away from the Ocean is to abandon more than USD$8 trillion in potential value. To embrace its promise is to unlock USD$15.5 trillion in benefits, create 12 million jobs by 2030, and bring greater resilience to nations most in need. Yet the science clearly shows that the window for action is closing fast. That is why we must be patient with capital and impatient with action, delivering investment that reduces risk and drives environmental, economic, social and cultural security. But no one sector can go it alone. It is going to take radical collaboration, from beachfront to boardroom.
Read Karen's impressive and useful article that is full of resources and watch a few short videos as well all here - https://greenmoney.com/investing-in-ocean-resilience-a-sea-change-in-climate-finance
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