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36 | BLUE ECONOMY AND BLUE FINANCE

“The Blue Economy Strategy emphasises the need for
sustainable use of the ocean by industries to promote
economic growth, improve livelihoods and create jobs while
IN preserving the health of the ocean ecosystem”.
SIGHT Nathalie Hilmi, economist in charge of the "environmental
economics" section at the Monaco Scientific Centre and lead
author of the IPCC

4. THE OCEAN, A COMMON 5. FINANCIAL MARKETS
LANGUAGE AND BLUE INVESTMENTS

In a world full of misinformation and greenwashing, How can we make the financial markets a key lever
how can we build a common language that can for the blue economy? The panellists identified a need
unite different generations and social and professio- for "financial literacy". How can we ignore the fact that
nal backgrounds? This question, raised by Pernille disruption to economic activity causes loss of biodi-
Schnoor, professor at the World Maritime Univer- versity, which has an impact on financial indicators?
sity, relates not only to the integration of scientific For example, disruption of the marine food chain has
knowledge into the educational framework but also an impact on fish stocks. The fact remains that "the
to the emergence of intergenerational dialogue and European Union's sustainable transition agenda fo-
the co-construction of representations. Agustina Lo cuses on climate change but pays little attention to
Bianco, from the MERI Foundation, recommends the loss of biodiversity. As a result, sustainable funds
that "ocean literacy needs to be more inclusive and face a regulatory hurdle when they invest in preser-
accessible, whether to young children, teachers, ving biodiversity," explains Thorsten Thiele, founder of
journalists or political decision makers, to raise global the Global Ocean Trust.
awareness and take action to ensure the sustainabi-
lity of our oceans." Improving the media strategy and The target sectors of the blue economy are outlined,
communication plans is, therefore, an important part with a focus on the pitfalls of greenwashing and the
of the process, and is a prerequisite for coordinated development of a nature market similar to the carbon
action at an international level, which raises the ques- market. The introduction of a "carbon credit" or "na-
tion of a common language and standardisation of ture credit" would provide companies with a financial
concepts. incentive to invest in the conservation or restoration of
biodiversity. Other solutions, such as the creation of
a sustainability label, the promotion of nature-based
solutions, support for sustainable businesses and
opportunities for long-term alternative investors via
impact funds were highlighted during the two days
of work.

DID
YOU
KNOW?

The Elafonisos Eco association has demonstrated that the lionfish is an
invasive species in the Mediterranean as a result of imbalances in ecosystems
affected by climate change. In the interests of regulation, they provide recipes
to encourage people to fish for it and enjoy it.