Publications
Destructive fishing: An expert-driven definition and exploration of this quasi-concept
“Numerous policy and international frameworks consider that “destructive fishing” hampers efforts to reach sustainability goals. Though ubiquitous, “destructive fishing” is undefined and therefore currently immeasurable. Here we propose a definition developed through expert consultation: “Destructive fishing is any fishing practice that causes irrecoverable habitat degradation, or which causes significant adverse environmental impacts, results in long-term […]
policy brief: Ghanaian Artisanal Fisheries: Adapting to Climate Change
“In Ghana, many changes relevant to fisheries are being seen that can be linked with climate change. Changes in abundance, size, and distribution of many different fish stocks are being reported by fisherfolk and fisheries managers in Ghana, and weather patterns are changing. This is important, because Ghana’s predominantly artisanal fisheries are considered to have […]
Policy Brief: States’ international obligations at the ocean-climate nexus
“In March 2023, the United Nations General Assembly requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to clarify the international obligations of States to ensure the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases for States and for present and future generations (A/RES/77/276). The One Ocean Hub […]
Widespread Geographical Disparities in Phytoplankton Ecology Research in the Face of Climate Change: A Review
” Climate change is a global threat that is better understood through global research spanning many regions, countries, and life-supporting ecosystems. This review focused on the bibliometric analysis of the distribution of a global research compendium on phytoplankton, an aquatic community that accounts for half of the carbon fixation in the global carbon cycle. A […]
Climate change risk and adaptation for fisher communities in Ghana
“Artisanal fisheries in Ghana account for more than two-thirds of the country’s food fish production and employ or support up to 2 million people. However, many fish stocks are close to collapse through overexploitation, especially stocks such as sardinella that are a staple food for Ghanaians. Climate change is expected to affect the fish themselves […]
International Environmental Law: A Case for Transformative Change through the Lens of Children’s Human Rights
“The interpretative clarifications under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child on children’s human right to a healthy environment help illuminate areas for transformative change through the evolutive interpretation and implementation of international environmental law. This article explores how the 2023 UN General Comment No. 26 on children’s rights and the environment, with […]
Cadmium exposure experiments on calanoid copepods reveal significant shortfall in water quality criteria for managing coastal marine ecosystems in West Africa
“Coastal marine waters in the Gulf of Guinea are severely affected by heavy metal pollution, particularly from small scale mining activities around major rivers feeding estuaries in the Region. However, the potential impact of these environmental stressor on the productivity of planktonic organisms remain unknown. We quantified survival, reproduction and faecal pellet production rate of […]
Participation of Indigenous Peoples in Decision Making Over Deep-Seabed Mining
“In this essay, I reflect on the challenges and opportunities in ensuring the genuine and meaningful participation of Indigenous peoples at the International Seabed Authority (ISA), with a view to giving due consideration to Indigenous peoples’ human rights and integrating their knowledge into international decisions on deep-seabed mining. The essay begins with an assessment of […]
Principles for transformative ocean governance
“With a focus on oceans, we collaborated across ecological, social and legal disciplines to respond to the United Nations call for transformation in the ‘2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development’. We developed a set of 13 principles that strategically and critically connect transformative ocean research to transformative ocean governance (complementing the UN Decade for Ocean Science). […]
