Why in the news?

  • At COP30, nations introduced the Blue Package, a coordinated initiative aimed at rapidly advancing solutions across the priority ocean sectors.

Blue Package

  • What is it?: It is a coordinated, collective plan designed to rapidly accelerate the implementation of ocean-climate solutions by 2028, focusing on five key sectors: marine conservation, aquatic food, ocean renewable energy, shipping, and coastal tourism.
  • Key Features:
    • The plan was launched by the five Ocean Breakthroughs group and aims to mobilize action and investment across ocean-based solutions, critical to both climate mitigation and adaptation.​
    • 17 countries joined the Blue NDC Challenge at COP30, committing to integrate ocean-based solutions into their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the UNFCCC, which marks a significant shift from commitment to concrete policy and delivery on ocean issues.​
    • The package includes the establishment of the “One Ocean Partnership,” a global network of regenerative seascapes aiming to mobilize at least USD 20 billion for a regenerative blue economy by 2030, creating 20 million jobs.​
    • Supporting tools such as the Ocean Breakthroughs Implementation Dashboard and the Marine Biodiversity and Ocean Health toolkit will help track country- and sector-level progress for increased accountability and transparency.
  • Strategic Initiatives and Impacts:
    • Ocean-based climate solutions highlighted include offshore renewable energy, sustainable fisheries, decarbonized shipping, blue carbon ecosystems (such as mangroves), and regenerative tourism.​
    • The Blue Package provides a pathway for non-state actors and governments to collaborate, supporting the synergistic implementation of climate and biodiversity commitments under the Rio Conventions.​
    • It addresses longstanding gaps in climate finance, aiming to close the “ocean opportunity gap”- with ocean action historically receiving less than 1% of global climate finance- by unlocking significant sources of investment.
  • Blue Package and India:
    • India is one of the 17 countries that joined the Blue NDC Challenge under the Blue Package framework.
    • This aligns with India’s aim to support over 5,000 climate startups by 2030, indicating a strong push toward blue economy innovation and climate action tied to oceans.
    • By joining the Blue NDC Challenge, India can access technical assistance, finance mechanisms, and a global knowledge-sharing platform that accelerates capacity building in marine renewable energy, sustainable fisheries, and decarbonized shipping, fostering innovation and green job creation in ocean sectors.

Source: Down To Earth