Where should we invest? Let’s dive deeper into the comparison between Mars colonization and Earth’s ocean restoration—and the long-term impact of both on our planet and our economy by 2050.
Colonizing Mars: No progress. Only theoretical planning. Potential long-term risks if Earth becomes uninhabitable.
Saving Earth's Oceans: No restoration. Ocean ecosystems continue to decline, costing $2.5 trillion/year due to degradation of fisheries, tourism, and ecosystem services.
Colonizing Mars: Negligible impact. Basic research funding (e.g., technology testing for Mars rovers, atmospheric analysis). Minimal return. Funds R&D but no immediate economic benefit.
Saving Earth's Oceans: Positive but small impact. Pilot projects for marine pollution control and reef restoration. Minor gains for local coastal tourism and fishing industries, returns around $500 million.
Colonizing Mars: Minimal impact. Robotic missions, small-scale technological experiments on Mars. Could test limited habitats for future use. Small scientific returns. Economic benefits highly speculative and decades away.
Saving Earth's Oceans: Moderate impact. Coastal restoration projects across multiple regions, mitigating damage to coral reefs and fisheries. Could reverse some pollution and prevent further economic loss. Estimated return of $2.5 billion, saving local industries from collapse.
Colonizing Mars: Low impact. Major robotic mission (like a Mars rover or lander), along with research into human survival on Mars (e.g., growing food). Long-term scientific gain, but no economic benefit.
Saving Earth's Oceans: High impact. Large-scale marine projects to restore biodiversity hotspots, create marine protected areas (MPAs), and improve coastal defenses.Estimated $5 billion in returns from sustainable fisheries, tourism, and biodiversity preservation.
Colonizing Mars: Moderate impact. Funding a significant Mars mission sending humans on exploratory missions, such as NASA’s Artemis mission or SpaceX’s Mars program.
Saving Earth's Oceans: Very high impact. Restoring 30% of marine ecosystems through MPAs, curbing overfishing, and reducing ocean acidification. Generates up to $50 billion in economic benefits, protecting global fisheries and stabilizing coastal economies
Colonizing Mars: Major progress. Fund initial infrastructure for human survival on Mars (building basic habitats, life support systems, solar power arrays, water production). Establishes a Mars outpost, but returns are still speculative. High risk of failure. Ongoing costs significant.
Saving Earth's Oceans: Transformational impact. Comprehensive restoration of global oceans, including full protection for marine biodiversity, massive carbon sequestration through marine vegetation (e.g., mangroves, sea grasses). Generates $500 billion in economic benefits through sustainable blue industries (biotechnology, fisheries, ecotourism, coastal resilience)
Colonizing Mars: Possible establishment of a permanent human outpost on Mars. Sustainable agriculture and water recovery systems may be developed, allowing for ongoing missions. No guarantee of long-term economic viability. High maintenance and supply costs. Potential for long-term gains if space mining or tourism develops (decades away).
Saving Earth's Oceans: Global transformation. Full-scale ocean recovery and carbon offset system, reversing oceanic degradation, boosting global food security, stabilizing climate. Estimated $5 trillion economic return from sustainable ocean industries, tourism, and carbon trading.
Colonizing Mars: Expanded Mars infrastructure. Larger colonies, space agriculture, initial mining of Mars resources. Human life becomes semi-sustainable on Mars. Huge cost, uncertain returns. While space tourism or mining may generate revenue in the future, the timeline is unclear. Terraforming research begins on Mars, attempting to modify the atmosphere to support human life. Potential returns come from future space mining, tourism, or technological advancements. Risks of failure extremely high.
Saving Earth's Oceans: Ocean ecosystems fully restored. Oceanic industries dominate global trade. Fisheries, biotechnology, renewable energy (offshore wind, tidal) flourish. Climate stabilization achieved. Global reliance on marine-based energy, food, and carbon sequestration leads to economic and environmental stability. $15 trillion total returns over time, securing food, energy, and biodiversity benefits globally.
Investing in the oceans will yield trillions of dollars of benefits.
71% of our planet is covered by oceans. Ocean-related industries, or the ‘blue economy’, generate $2.5 trillion of economic value globally, making it equivalent to the world’s 7th largest economy. The blue economy supports almost 3 billion people’s livelihoods in industries including seafood, port construction and coastal tourism. (UNEP, 2023)
Still, of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the “Life Below Water” goal SDG14 has received the least amount of public money.
(UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2022)
Investing $2.8 trillion would yield an estimate $15.5 trillion in net benefits from sustainable ocean investments by 2050.
(High Level Panel for A Sustainable Ocean Economy, 2022)
According to the High Level Panel for A Sustainable Ocean Economy, for every $1 invested in ocean health, $5 of benefits are realized.
(Chart: The Economist)
The circular economy of 2050 will eliminate waste through design.
Products will be designed for reuse and recycling, with bio-based plastics replacing fossil fuels. Zero-waste factories powered by renewable energy will dominate, and durable goods will foster local repair economies, reducing waste globally. Durable, repairable goods will dominate, creating a system where resources circulate infinitely, driving both economic efficiency and environmental balance.
The future economy will no longer exploit nature but instead restore it.
The regenerative economy will restore ecosystems while providing for human needs. Regenerative agriculture will transform food production and enrich biodiversity. Cities will become living ecosystems with renewable energy systems, creating carbon-positive urban environments. By investing in ecosystem services, governments and industries will turn nature into a powerful economic driver.
By 2050 the oceans will power sustainable industries.
The oceans, once exploited and polluted, will be the planet’s largest reservoir of opportunity. The blue economy will embrace sustainable ocean-based industries, unlocking the potential of marine ecosystems while preserving them. Blue biotechnology will turn algae into bio-based chemicals, revolutionizing sectors like pharmaceuticals, agriculture and textiles, while substituting oil will drive global decarbonization.
The blue economy will play a crucial role in material innovation by providing bio-based solutions that will replace oil-derived products across many industries. By 2050, these innovations will contribute to a more circular, and regenerative global economy. Here’s a detailed look at how ocean-based materials, particularly those derived from marine algae, seaweed, and other marine organisms, will impact various sectors.
Biochemicals: The chemical industry and manufacturers and brands will benefit from algae-based biochemicals and biopolymers, which can replace conventional petrochemical-based chemicals and ingredients. These biochemicals and biopolymers are biodegradable and truly sustainable, making them ideal for use in cosmetics, detergents, packaging, textiles, and more. Algae contain same compounds in terms of the functionalities as oil making it a viable feedstock to replace naphtha.
Algae-derived Additives: Algae will provide natural food additives, such as thickening agents, flavor enhancers, and stabilizers, texturizers, pigments and antioxidants, replacing synthetic and/or animal based chemicals. Algae-based proteins will serve as sustainable alternatives to animal protein sources.
Sustainable Aquaculture: Seaweed and algae farming can offer an eco-friendly approach to aquaculture, providing feed for fish farming that reduces the environmental footprint and supports food security.
Biodegradable Bio-based Plastics: Algae provides the basis for bioplastics that are fully compostable, replacing single-use plastics across all sectors, including food, pharmaceuticals, and consumer goods packaging. These materials will reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste.
Edible Packaging: Innovations in algae-based bioplastics will create edible packaging for food products, reducing waste and enhancing sustainability by prolonging the shelf life of the food.
Biofertilizers: Algae and other marine organisms will be key in creating bio-based fertilizers that enhance soil health while reducing the need for harmful synthetic chemical fertilizers. These biofertilizers can improve crop yields while improving the overall sustainability and decreasing the nutrient run offs.
Biopesticides: Natural compounds derived from algae can be used as eco-friendly pesticides, reducing the reliance on synthetic, oil-based pesticides that damage ecosystem and food safety.
Marine-Derived Pharmaceuticals: Marine organisms, particularly algae, will be a rich source of bioactive compounds for drug development. Algae-based molecules will be used to create more sustainable and less toxic alternatives to synthetic pharmaceuticals.
Biodegradable Medical Devices: The healthcare industry will use bio-based plastics for disposable items such as personal protective equipment (PPE). These materials will be fully biodegradable, reducing medical waste.
Algae-Based Fibers: Bio-based fibers made from seaweed and algae will replace synthetic fibers like polyester, creating biodegradable textiles that reduce environmental waste. Seaweed fibers can be spun into fabric for clothing, which is durable, soft, and completely biodegradable.
Natural Dyes: Algae-derived pigments will replace toxic chemical dyes in the textile industry, reducing water pollution caused by dye runoff.
Textile Printing: Algae based biopolymers are used to enrich the technical performance of the dye pastes in textile printing processes to substitute oil based synthetic polymers decarbonising the process and eliminating the microplastic emissions.
Natural Emollients and Surfactants: The cosmetics industry will use bio-based emollients, surfactants, and active ingredients sourced from marine algae and seaweed. These ingredients will replace petrochemical-based components in skincare, haircare, and personal care products.
Sustainable Packaging: Packaging for cosmetics will be fully biodegradable and derived from marine biomass, reducing plastic waste and environmental pollution.
Active Ingredients: Algae-sourced bio-based molecules can serve as natural active ingredients in skincare and cosmetics, replacing synthetic chemicals like parabens and phthalates bringing new functionalities and efficacy.
Algae Biofuels: Algae-based biofuels will power vehicles, particularly in sectors where electrification is more challenging (e.g., long-haul trucking and aviation), replacing oil-derived gasoline and diesel.
Bio-Based Composites: The automotive industry will shift to using algae-based composites for vehicle interiors, reducing the reliance on oil-based materials and improving the sustainability of manufacturing processes.
Algae-Based Insulation: Insulation materials made from marine-based biopolymers can replace petroleum-based foams in construction. These materials will offer improved energy efficiency and carbon capture properties.
Bio-Based Concrete Additives: Algae and other marine organisms will be used to develop additives for concrete, improving its durability and reducing the carbon footprint of construction.
Origin by Ocean has developed an innovative method to transform harmful algal blooms—caused by industrial and agricultural runoff—into bio-based chemicals, offering sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel derivatives, climate-sensitive plants, and land/water-intensive renewable crops. These chemicals are used in everything from cosmetics to food production and packaging.
We believe that in order for things to happen at a massive scale, it has to be turned into an industry. One with a reimagined value chain.
The origin of the only life we know in the universe started in the ocean. Life still depends on it. Invest in an industry that will restore ocean health and build the blue economy of the future.
WHAT WE DO?
Our closed-loop process turns invasive algae into bio-based chemicals and biomass products, regenerating ocean ecosystems while capturing and sequestering carbon.
OUR IMPACT
The more we grow, the lower the carbon footprint. In addition to less greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, our business model will restore biodiversity of the oceans.
As industries and governments begin to tighten regulations and shift toward sustainable alternatives, now is the time to position yourself at the forefront of the blue economy. The earlier you invest, the more you will gain – both financially and ecologically. The sooner you act, the greater your role in saving the planet for future generations.
Don’t wait until you need a ticket to Mars.
Start investing in the oceans now.
