Why is the ocean so underinvested in?

In his landmark documentary “Ocean”, naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough says, “After living for nearly 100 years on this planet, I now understand that the most important place on Earth is not on land, but at sea.” Most scientists would agree.  

The ocean is, quite literally, the beating heart of Earth. It generates more than half the oxygen we breathe, regulates our climate, drives weather patterns, and feeds and supports the livelihoods of over 3bn people. It underpins global trade and economic stability, shelters untold biodiversity and buffers coastal communities from storms. And yet, astonishingly, it remains one of the least-funded parts of the global nature and climate agenda. The World Resources Institute estimates that the ocean receives a minuscule fraction of the financing it requires.   

Why is that? First, the ocean plays a deeply underappreciated role in sustaining life on Earth. We rely on it but rarely see it—or value it—for what it truly is: natural infrastructure. The ocean absorbs nearly a third of human-caused carbon emissions. Its currents regulate rainfall, temperature and crop viability. But because its benefits are often invisible and not easily captured in quarterly reports, they are consistently undervalued in policy and finance. And when nature is undervalued, it is overlooked.

Second, we still view our use of the ocean as a one-way transaction—a place to extract from, not invest in. From industrial fishing to deep-sea mining, we have treated it as a conveyor belt of resources. But ocean ecosystems do not operate in isolation. They are closed-loop systems. Push one part too hard, and the rest suffers. We are now seeing the consequences: the collapse of most fisheries, coral reefs dying across the globe and rapidly receding shorelines.

While both these challenges contribute to our underinvestment in the ocean, perhaps most problematic is the lack of mature, scalable opportunities to absorb capital at the pace and scale required.  But that is starting to change—thanks to deliberate work by the conservation and finance communities to build pilot projects and the enabling conditions for ocean investment.  

At Conservation International, we are helping to lead this shift. For example, through the Blue Carbon Plus initiative—a collaboration with The Nature Conservancy, supported by ORCA (Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance)— we are advancing investable, business-based solutions that conserve and restore blue-carbon ecosystems.

In Indonesia, our Blue Halo S initiative, supported by the Indonesian government and the Green Climate Fund, is building a network of marine protected areas along the coast of Sumatra tied to sustainable fishing practices. It is the first large-scale ocean demonstration of how to link environmental protection to economic production.   

In the Pacific, the small-island nation of Niue has launched ocean-conservation credits —a type of nature credit  which, when sold, helps to safeguard its marine territory, including a highly protected area that covers 40% of its waters.   

The private sector is getting in on the action as well. For example, DP World, through a partnership with The Earthshot Prize, is investing in pioneering ocean companies like Coral Vita, which grows climate-resilient reefs, and Living Seawalls, which enhances marine biodiversity along coastlines through eco-engineered structures.  

These efforts are more than symbolic—they are tangible examples of what is possible when capital flows towards innovation that benefits both people and planet.  

Even governments are waking up to the reality that ocean resources are economic and political concerns, not just environmental ones. Recently, the United Kingdom and the European Union reached a major post-Brexit trade agreement. The most contentious issue?  Access to fishing rights. That a deal between two global powers could have nearly fallen apart over fisheries says everything about how central —and contested—ocean resources have become.

Thus, at a time when foreign aid and overseas-development assistance is on the decline, and with private philanthropy unable or unwilling to keep pace with need, the only viable option we have is to lean into return-seeking ocean financing. And we are now seeing momentum; new tools, more advanced science and smarter partnerships are beginning to close the gap between what the ocean provides and what we invest in return.

Mr Attenborough is right: the most important place on Earth is at sea. The time to invest is now.  

Views or opinions expressed are those of the author and any individuals cited, and do not necessarily reflect those of Economist Impact or any other member of The Economist Group.