The ocean covers more than 70% of the Earth’s surface. It produces more than 50% of the oxygen we breathe and sequesters 30% of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide. ‘Blue natural capital’, the stock of marine resources, offers many other benefits, such as a vast variety of food, water, pharmacological and medicinal resources, renewable resources for energy production, and space for transport and carrying out sports and recreational activities. These are the benefits that, together with other more conventional forms of capital (e.g. human and financial), allow us to develop countless economic activities.

After working for five years to increase scientific and public knowledge about the role of the ocean in sustainable economic development and human well-being, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation is committed to leveraging the experience and impact achieved thus far. In addition to its clear commitment to the intrinsic value of the sustainable management of blue natural capital, the Foundation believes that marine biological resources, coupled with the use of technology, are a driving force in promoting more responsible business models, aligned with the global agenda for sustainable development.

These are our current axes of intervention:

• Promote greater awareness of the economic value of the ocean;
• Leverage ocean-based climate solutions;
• Use blue biotechnology to solve social and environmental problems and for sustainable economic growth.

Projects