Inter-American Development Bank
facebook
twitter
youtube
linkedin
instagram
Abierto al públicoBeyond BordersCaribbean Development TrendsCiudades SosteniblesEnergía para el FuturoEnfoque EducaciónFactor TrabajoGente SaludableGestión fiscalGobernarteIdeas MatterIdeas que CuentanIdeaçãoImpactoIndustrias CreativasLa Maleta AbiertaMoviliblogMás Allá de las FronterasNegocios SosteniblesPrimeros PasosPuntos sobre la iSeguridad CiudadanaSostenibilidadVolvamos a la fuente¿Y si hablamos de igualdad?Home
Citizen Security and Justice Creative Industries Development Effectiveness Early Childhood Development Education Energy Envirnment. Climate Change and Safeguards Fiscal policy and management Gender and Diversity Health Labor and pensions Open Knowledge Public management Science, Technology and Innovation  Trade and Regional Integration Urban Development and Housing Water and Sanitation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Sostenibilidad

Just another web-blogs Sites site

  • HOME
  • CATEGORIES
    • Agriculture and Food Security
    • Climate change
    • Ecosystems and Biodiversity
    • Environmental and Social Safeguards
    • Infrastructure and Sustainable Landscapes
    • Institutionality
    • Responsible Production and Consumption
  • Authors
  • English

Caribbean “Blue Techies” let the Blue Revolution Begin!

November 20, 2018 por Gerard Alleng - Claudia Stevenson - liliamg Leave a Comment


Calling all Blue Technologies innovators in the Caribbean, there is finally space for you to innovate in the blueness of the Caribbean sun.  We present the IDB’s  Blue-Tech Challenge: New technologies or solutions to foster sustainability of the ocean economy in the Caribbean (#BlueTechChallenge). The aim of this initiative is to foster innovation in the Caribbean for a better sustainable usage of what we call the Blue Economy.

You may be asking yourself, what is the Blue Economy? This is a good question, and probably if you approach 5 different people with this question, you may get 5 different answers.   According to The Economist Intelligent Unit,  “a sustainable ocean economy is identified when economic activity is in balance with the long-term capacity of ocean ecosystems to perform this activity and remain resilient and healthy.” If you could wrap your mind around this concept and the innovative ways technology can be applied to support development or learning, you might be the “blue techie” that we need. If you couldn’t, do not dismay, we may be able to help you to make the connection.

Another approach to understanding the Blue Economy is to acknowledge the ocean/coastal areas as development spaces where spatial planning integrates the following aspects: conservation, sustainable use, mineral wealth extraction, bio-prospecting, sustainable energy production, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, and marine transport.  It changes the perception of oceans as a means of free resource extraction and waste; dumping and replacing it with an economic model that expands ocean values and services. For example, it is estimated that the gross revenues generated by the ocean economy in the Caribbean, could be around US$ 53 billion. This could be underestimated as it does not include a vast range of marine products and services.  To unlock and sustainably manage these resources, it is required technological innovation and that is where blue techies come in.

Why #BlueTechnology? In the Blue Economy ecosphere, the use of technology is a key element to identify and trade new opportunities and paradigms for ocean sustainability.  This will help to reduce the gap in the utilization of ocean and coastal resources between developed and developing countries.  For example, mobile technology allows better data on fish landings and fish stock health.  This technology strengthens fishing sectors in poor and vulnerable countries and encourages sustainable and legal fishing practices, as well as greater local value creation.

Why is the Blue Economy so important in the Caribbean? This region has larger sea areas than land areas, coupled with the existence of unique marine fauna and flora biodiversity.  Currently, the livelihood of many Caribbean communities depends on sea-based products and they are vulnerable as the ocean assets are subject to environmental degradation. Thus, new technologies can provide more economic and accessible means for protection and regeneration.

On the other hand, the marine space is an under-exploited growth opportunity mostly caused by lack of knowledge and limited sea exploration but also because of the deficit of in-depth understanding on how to integrate the latest technological trends to benefit ocean related activities and to provide new opportunities. The blue economy activities can be harmonized in the Caribbean context by promoting the application, development, and expansion of new technologies.

On a previous blog,  it was mentioned that the research, innovation and the use of ICT would play a critical for the development of the Blue Economy.  The challenge arises on the “T” part which poses an exciting blue ride given the rapid rate of technological development and applications. This technology is not primitive, this is a group of cutting-edge technologies, such as #machine learning, self-learning AI, IoT, Big Data, Digital Distributed Ledgers – think #Blueinnovation, #Blockchain, #datavisualization; supercapacitors, #virtual reality, #robotics, #Augmented reality , #ROVs integrated with machine learning, and the list grows.

If you already started thinking of the scope of blue technological applications or need some inspiration, check out the innovative responses to the “How can coastal communities mitigate and adapt to climate change while developing and prospering” from MIT Solve Challenge.   The Caribbean needs these types of technologies, but it needs them at a level that is scalable, innovative, socially inclusive and economically feasible. So, join our #BlueTechChallenge and let the blue revolution begin!


Filed Under: Climate change

Gerard Alleng

Gerard Alleng joined the IDB in 2008 as a clean energy and climate change specialist and currently he works as a climate change senior specialist within the Climate Change Division of the Bank. Gerard coordinates the Division’s adaptation and mitigation activities in the Caribbean Region. Prior to joining the IDB, he was a Policy Fellow with the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy at the University of Delaware, where he managed projects that focused on renewable energy policy and climate change issues. Gerard holds a Master's degree in Energy and Environmental Policy from the University of Delaware (USA) and a Master's degree in Wetlands Ecology from the University of the West Indies, Jamaica. Gerard is a Caribbean Fulbright scholar.

Claudia Stevenson

M. Claudia Stevenson is a Private Sector Lead Specialist at the Competitiveness, Technology, and Innovation Division of the Inter-American Development Bank. She currently oversees the division’s activities in the Caribbean region, including the development of loan operations, technical cooperation programs, and knowledge products; in the areas of competitiveness, entrepreneurship, innovation, business climate, and private sector development. Ms. Stevenson holds a BS Degree in Civil Engineering from Universidad de Los Andes in Colombia, a master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Iowa and a master’s degree in Economics with honors from the Iowa State University and is also a Fulbright scholar.

liliamg

Liliam García es Consultora en Cambio Climático con experiencia en Finanzas, quien se centra en el diseño de propuestas de proyectos para fondos externos en la División de Cambio Climático del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID) (Washington DC). Liliam también apoya el diseño, la preparación y la ejecución de operaciones, así como las actividades de investigación relacionadas con el programa Plataforma de islas sostenibles para la región del Caribe. Liliam anteriormente trabajó como líder del departamento de tesorería y finanzas en una de las instituciones de salud pública más grandes de la región del Pacífico en Colombia. Liliam tiene una licenciatura en Economía de la Universidad de San Buenaventura (Colombia) y una especialización en Finanzas de la Universidad ICESI (Colombia), también tiene un MBA de la Universidad ICESI y un Certificado profesional en Finanzas de la Universidad de Georgetown (USA).

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Follow Us

Subscribe

SEARCH

Sustainability

This blog is a space to reflect about the challenges, opportunities and the progress made by Latin American and Caribbean countries on the path towards the region’s sustainable development.

SIMILAR POSTS

  • Five Shades of Blue (Economy)
  • The Caribbean can make waves with a blue ocean economy
  • The Blue Economy: Think like a #BOSs!
  • A Blue Roadmap for Barbados
  • A regional dialogue towards a Climate-Resilient and Sustainable Blue Economy

Footer

Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo
facebook
twitter
youtube
youtube
youtube

    Blog posts written by Bank employees:

    Copyright © Inter-American Development Bank ("IDB"). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons IGO 3.0 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives. (CC-IGO 3.0 BY-NC-ND) license and may be reproduced with attribution to the IDB and for any non-commercial purpose. No derivative work is allowed. Any dispute related to the use of the works of the IDB that cannot be settled amicably shall be submitted to arbitration pursuant to the UNCITRAL rules. The use of the IDB's name for any purpose other than for attribution, and the use of IDB's logo shall be subject to a separate written license agreement between the IDB and the user and is not authorized as part of this CC- IGO license. Note that link provided above includes additional terms and conditions of the license.


    For blogs written by external parties:

    For questions concerning copyright for authors that are not IADB employees please complete the contact form for this blog.

    The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IDB, its Board of Directors, or the countries they represent.

    Attribution: in addition to giving attribution to the respective author and copyright owner, as appropriate, we would appreciate if you could include a link that remits back the IDB Blogs website.



    Privacy Policy

    Derechos de autor © 2025 · Magazine Pro en Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

    Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo

    Aviso Legal

    Las opiniones expresadas en estos blogs son las de los autores y no necesariamente reflejan las opiniones del Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo, sus directivas, la Asamblea de Gobernadores o sus países miembros.

    facebook
    twitter
    youtube
    This site uses cookies to optimize functionality and give you the best possible experience. If you continue to navigate this website beyond this page, cookies will be placed on your browser.
    To learn more about cookies, click here
    x
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT