3. Deep Sea Mining: The Growing Wave?

A wave of action against deep sea mining is growing.  In July 2024, the International Seabed Authority will meet for its 29th Session in Kingston, Jamaica. Pacific island states or “large ocean states” like Palau have been leading the charge at the ISA to pause and reconsider the current trajector…

2. Deep Sea Mining: Good or Bad Investment?

Why have some multinational companies pledged not to use minerals sourced from deep sea mining?   Today several major companies such as Volvo, BMW, and Samsung have joined over twenty-five countries in calling for a moratorium on deep sea mining. They have agreed not to source any minerals from th…

1. What is Deep Sea Mining?

What is deep sea mining? And what should the world do about it? Welcome to a brand new miniseries exploring the facts and evidence around deep sea mining, and covering the growing case for a moratorium on the practice.   The ocean’s seabed harbours a range of mineral reserves containing valuable m…

10. Blue Finance on the International Agenda for Nature and Humanity

This past year has been eventful for the ocean.  Sustainable blue economy was a central theme for global conferences: the UN High Seas Treaty negotiation success, the UN Ocean Conference in Portugal leading to the CBD Biodiversity COP15 in Montreal, the One Ocean Summit in France, Canada hosting I…

9. Environmental Economic Accounts: Bookkeeping for the Ocean

Environmental economic accounting is a new process that promises to transform the way we look at biodiversity and ecosystems. It’s based on traditional accounting - using data to track economic flows, record assets, and plan future investments. Might it be possible to account for something as broad…

8. Women’s Empowerment as a Key to Unlocking Ocean Finance

Half of the world’s population is female. But on the financing side, men still tend to dominate the boardrooms. But for conservation projects on the ground, local women are increasingly driving the most important work – and enriching their lives in the process. In this episode we unpack these powe…

7. Green-Grey Infrastructure: Coastal Development That Benefits The Environment

Green-grey infrastructure is a fascinating new concept. It describes Nature-based Solutions like mangroves or coral reefs that can work as or alongside grey infrastructure projects – like ports, seawalls, or water treatment plants. In a time of rising sea levels as well as increased coastal develop…

6. The High Seas: The Last Frontier for Ocean Finance

Welcome to the High Seas. More than two hundred nautical miles beyond any coastline, these wild waters make up two thirds of the entire ocean and perform crucial functions like protecting fish and regulating our climate. But when it comes to global conservation action, they get little attention.  …

5. Are blue bonds the silver bullet for ocean conservation? Part II

This is part two of our double feature on blue bonds. Last time we were introduced to blue bonds through the pioneering example of the Seychelles a few years ago. But today there’s a whole new generation of debt-for-nature swaps that restructure the debt of entire countries. In this episode, we s…

4. Are blue bonds the silver bullet for ocean conservation? Part I

What are blue bonds? They're some of the biggest deals in ocean finance today - in some cases involving restructuring the debt of entire nations. But how do they actually work? This is part one of two episodes about blue bonds, where we’re travelling to the Seychelles to talk about the first blue …