Center for the Blue Economy
Our mission at the Center for the Blue Economy is to provide economic and policy analysis that supports the development of a robust and equitable blue economy for the 21st century.
What is the “Blue Economy?”
The Center uses the World Bank’s definition of the Blue Economy: the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.
Our Research
Our research focuses primarily on two key areas—1) helping organizations and governments measure their ocean and coastal economies in order to help guide policy, and 2) the economics of climate change adaptation in coastal regions. While the Center examines economic activities in the open ocean—e.g., renewable energy, fisheries, and shipping—we devote most of our attention to issues in coastal zones, particularly building climate resilience and helping coastal communities adapt to climate impacts.
Introduction to the Blue Economy
Online, Self-Paced Course
This three- to five-hour self-paced course will expand your knowledge of the blue economy and lay a foundation for deeper learning in more specialized topics. The Introduction to the Blue Economy course is completely online, asynchronous, and self-paced. You’ll enjoy the flexibility to learn on your own time, from anywhere in the world.This noncredit course is taught by Dr. Charles Colgan, the Director of Research at the Center for the Blue Economy and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics.
Fall 2024 Environmental Justice and Sustainability Speaker Series
Kelp Panel: Discussion with Sequoias of the Sea Filmmaker & Book Author
McGowan MG102
Open to the Public
Resource management through permitting in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
McGowan MG102
Open to the Public
Center for the Blue Economy News
Recognizing Student Excellence: 2023-2024 Impact Report Released
| by Nadia Pshonyak
Join us in celebrating the professional and research accomplishments of Middlebury Institute students documented in our 2023-2024 annual Experiential Learning Impact Report.
Climate Change Is Mostly a Human Problem, Not a Technological One
| by Jason Scorse
Tackling climate change right now is less about science and technology, and more about people, politics and behavior change, environmental policy Professor Jason Scorse told Foreign Affairs in a recent Q&A.
Professor Kristina Gjerde Honored along with Singapore Ambassador Rena Lee
| by Pace University
At a time when unprecedented marine heat waves warm 40 percent of the oceans, and much life at sea is endangered, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is proud to recognize two distinguished women for their leadership negotiating the world’s first legal agreement to safeguard biodiversity in the high seas. The 2024 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy will be jointly awarded to Singapore’s Ambassador for International Law, Rena Lee, and Senior High Seas Adviser to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Kristina Maria Gjerde. Professor Gjerde teaches Marine Law at the Middlebury Institute each January, and we are so proud of her accomplishment!
Follow us on Social Media
on Facebook @CenterForTheBlueEconomy, Instagram @OceanClimateAction, and LinkedIn at Center for the Blue Economy at MIIS. Watch past lectures on the CBE YouTube channel.
