The world is fast approaching another decisive moment. With world leaders meeting right now (November 10-20) in Belém, Brazil, for COP30, they have the chance to elevate our ocean as a climate solution. That is why one of Ocean Conservancy’s key objectives at COP30 will be to unlock ocean finance by working to establish a Blue Finance Window within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the body responsible for improving how climate finance is coordinated, tracked and delivered. This would essentially provide the financing architecture needed to direct major climate funding toward ocean-climate solutions at scale.
Without bold action, coastal communities, marine ecosystems and national economies will continue to face growing climate pressures. The cost of inaction will dwarf the price of smart investments to strengthen resilience and protect livelihoods.
Why is ocean finance under-resourced?
Part of the challenge is structural. Funding for the ocean is scattered across development agencies, ministries, philanthropy and private investors—often without shared priorities, definitions or even a clear understanding of what counts as “ocean-climate finance.” This confusion obscures the true scale of underinvestment, making it nearly impossible for coastal nations and Small Island Developing States to access finance quickly and at scale. As a result, estimates of what is needed to support a sustainable ocean economy range widely, from $383 billion to $717 billion per year.
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Why is ocean finance important?
The ocean is continuously treated as an afterthought in global climate policy and finance. Despite its central role, ocean-based climate solutions receive less than 2% of global climate finance, reflecting a staggering imbalance between the ocean’s importance and the world’s investment in its future. Our ocean feeds us, regulates our climate and produces half of the oxygen we breathe. It sustains more than 350 million jobs and supports an economy worth an estimated $3 trillion every year. There is no climate stability, no food security and no global prosperity without a thriving ocean.
A Blue Finance Window: one practical step to ocean finance
Ocean Conservancy and our partners are calling for a “Blue Finance Window” within the UNFCCC climate-finance architecture. A Blue Finance Window would be like a separate account just for the ocean and would ensure that money is earmarked specifically for ocean-climate projects.
A Blue Finance Window would give countries a clear, predictable and scalable mechanism to access finance for ocean-climate solutions. It would also make finance easier to track, coordinate and unlock at scale, helping close the gap between ambition and implementation.
Ocean finance has an opportunity to shine at COP30
Momentum is finally shifting. The COP30 presidency sent the strongest signal yet, declaring ocean-climate projects are under-resourced and that countries and partners should work to unlock a Blue Finance Window to unlock sustained ocean-finance investments.
This message matters. It shows that ocean finance is no longer a side conversation. It is becoming a core pillar of the COP30 agenda and of the climate finance system itself, something that Ocean Conservancy has continuously championed.
COP30 presents a rare opportunity to transition from a patchwork of isolated projects to a truly coordinated ocean-finance system. Rather than continuing with fragmented efforts that will never meet the scale of the crisis, countries can build a fit-for-purpose mechanism that matches the power of ocean solutions with the urgency of the moment.
Take action
You can help Ocean Conservancy fight for a Blue Finance Window and other ocean-climate solutions at COP30 and beyond. Add your name in support of ocean-climate action now.
The post Climate Finance Goals for Our Ocean at COP30 appeared first on Ocean Conservancy.
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