by Marisa Drew (chief sustainability officer at Standard Chartered) Despite carrying 80% of the world’s trade, absorbing 30% of its carbon-dioxide emissions and providing food security for almost 3 billion people, the global “blue economy” (oceans and waterways) is suffering from acute underinvestment, and nowhere more so than in Africa.
Key Impact Points: ERS Acquires Indigenous-Focused Forest Carbon Standard ERS, an ICVCM-approved carbon standard focused on nature-based solutions, has acquired Equitable Earth, a forest carbon standard co-developed by Indigenous leaders, community stakeholders, and technical experts. The move marks a significant shift in voluntary carbon markets toward prioritizing high-integrity, community-rooted REDD+
Key Impact Points: Connecting Capital Markets with Conservation As the world prepares for COP30—the “COP of Solutions”—one urgent challenge remains: how to finance global goals for nature and biodiversity. Meeting the Rio Conventions’ targets will require more than public funding; it will demand bold private sector investment and partnerships. The
Key Impact Points: SWEN Capital Partners Scales Ocean Impact Strategy with Second Blue Ocean Fund SWEN Capital Partners has raised €160 million in the first close of SWEN Blue Ocean 2, the world’s largest ocean-focused impact venture fund. With a €300 million target, the fund will back startups advancing technologies
Key Impact Points: Fugro to Develop First-Ever mCDR Environmental Impact Standards Fugro has been tapped by Ocean Visions to lead the development of a standardized Environmental Impact Assessment Framework for marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) technologies—advancing a critical area of climate innovation focused on the ocean’s capacity to store carbon.
Key Impact Points: €3 Billion Push to Stem the Tide of Plastic Pollution A coalition of development banks has pledged at least €3 billion ($3.4 billion) by 2030 to address plastic pollution in oceans—marking the world’s largest coordinated investment effort to tackle the crisis. The announcement came as the second
Key Impact Points: CAF Doubles Ocean Commitment to Lead Blue Finance in the Region CAF – the development bank of Latin America and the Caribbean – has announced a bold new investment of $2.5 billion through 2030 to advance a sustainable blue economy and preserve ocean ecosystems in the region.
“Hope is the most powerful force for human progress.” These words, penned by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Óscar Arias Sánchez, open the pages of a bold new book that dares to reimagine the future: Hope for Life on Our Planet: Inspiration for Seven Generations. In a moment marked by escalating
Key Impact Points: EU Moves to Safeguard Shared Fish Stocks The Council of the EU and European Parliament have struck a provisional deal to revise Regulation (EU) 1026/2012, strengthening the bloc’s ability to tackle non-sustainable fishing practices by third countries. The new rules aim to secure long-term sustainability of fish
Key Impact Points: Schroders Takes First Step in Nature Risk Disclosure Schroders has released its first Group Nature report, marking the asset management firm’s formal alignment with the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). The report, published June 2, outlines nature-related risks and dependencies across the firm’s investment activities—both public
