The Blue Economy is a critical engine of growth and development for many developing countries around the world, and particularly those with large marine areas under their jurisdiction. The Blue Economy encompasses sectors such as fisheries and aquaculture, marine and oceanic pollution, seascape management, and oceanic sectors such as farming, marine shipping and transport, and tourism related to marine areas. Improvements in the state of these sectors can increase the social, environmental, and economic impact of the Blue Economy. Emerging and innovative technologies can speed development progress in the Blue Economy through doing things differently in ways that are faster and more efficient, or through doing new things that unlock greater development opportunities.
TThe Blue Economy concept is closely aligned with international efforts to develop sustainably through such frameworks as the Sustainable Development Goals. Specifically, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, "Life Below Water," aims to conserve and sustainably use the world's oceans, seas, and marine resources for sustainable development. This involves preventing and significantly reducing marine pollution, protecting and restoring ecosystems, minimizing ocean acidification, and implementing sustainable management of marine and coastal ecosystems. Click on any of the SDGs (especially SDG 14) below for more information.
However, effectively leveraging emerging and innovative technologies – especially in the developing country context - requires improvements in capacity to understand and use the technology, and to manage the risks (e.g., privacy and cybersecurity considerations) associated with it. In this regard, digital development is an important focal area in implementing BlueTech in developing countries. Digital technologies may indeed be the easiest forms of new technology for developing countries to start adopting and improving.
This interactive, online resource first provides information on the Blue Economy and disruptive technologies, and then juxtaposes the two in a section on BlueTech, showing how these emerging technologies can be applied to the Blue Economy. The development implications of BlueTech and information on critical needs and enabling conditions for the adoption of BlueTech are then explored as we look ahead.