On World Oceans Day, June 8, 2024, leading leaders, companies, investors, startups and experts in the Blue Economy and Ocean Economy from Brazil and the world will come together in the year that Brazil chairs the G20, Oceans20 chapter.
On World Oceans Day, June 8, 2024, leading leaders, companies, investors, startups and experts in the Blue Economy and Ocean Economy from Brazil and the world will come together in the year that Brazil chairs the G20, Oceans20 chapter.
In 2017, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) was proclaimed, aiming to fulfill the commitments of the 2030 Agenda, focusing on SDG 14 and related goals.
The Decade was officially launched in Brazil on April 20th, 2021, and requires a series of events to encourage reflection on the urgent and necessary actions for the use and protection of the coastal and marine space in the country.
The planning of actions for the Decade is led by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovations (MCTI), the scientific representative of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Worldwide, the Ocean Decade aims to mobilize scientists, managers, politicians and societies to protect the ocean, which, despite covering 71% of the Earth’s surface, is poorly known and conserved.
According to a report published by the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission in 2019, only 1% of national research budgets are directed to ocean science. It is estimated that only 19% of the ocean floor has been mapped and cataloged.
The ocean provides food and living conditions for more than 3 billion people. It is also responsible for 30 million direct jobs, generating wealth equivalent to US$ 3 trillion per year. This means that the ocean could be ranked, in economic terms, as the 5th largest economy in the world.
In the National Implementation Plan, one of the priority actions for consultation with society refers to the Mapping and development of sustainable physical and logistical infrastructure, including financing, data management, information, technologies and innovations for ocean science and coastal and marine management.
On January 24th, 2024, BNDES launched the BNDES Azul initiative, which will have four fronts of action: Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) of the Brazilian coast, incentives for innovation and decarbonization of the naval fleet, stimulus to port infrastructure and support for water resources projects via the Climate Fund.
According to BNDES president Aloizio Mercadante, the goal is to put the sea back at the center of the national strategic agenda to strengthen the shipbuilding industry and deepen marine research in the country. “The interests that are in the oceans, especially for a country with 8.5 million kilometers of coastline, are decisive for the future.”
