An aerial view of the Monterey Bay including boat harbor, city and hills, with view to the Pacific Ocean beyond

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

The "tourist wharf" in Monterey CA, a restaurant over pilings above a calm harbor, with commercial fishing boats and recreational sailboats in the background, blue sky, blue water, brown wharf, pink-orange restaruant, and white boats.

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.

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Center for the Blue Economy News

  • People

    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!   

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