Back to Blue Initiative – raising public awareness around ocean acidification

Back to Blue, an initiative of Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation, was established in 2021 to promote ocean health – specifically around the issues of plastic pollution, chemical pollution, and ocean acidification. Back to Blue have been dedicated to making the issues of OA more accessible to the wider public, through various forms of storytelling (videos, podcasts, interactive infographics) and have continued to publish briefing papers to inform the public and policymakers on a) the current state of OA (2022), b) the importance of national OA action plans (2023), and c) OA’s impact on biodiversity (2024). We have also conducted events in Tokyo (2022) and London (2023) to engage policymakers around the importance of OA national action plans. Back to Blue have also actively taken part in The Economist’s World Ocean Summit to highlight OA issues via panel discussions, fireside chats to reach The Economist’s global audience. Back to Blue will continue to be active in raising public awareness around OA in the coming years.