policy brief: A multi-partner coalition to protect and restore the ocean’s contributions to climate regulation, human well-being and planetary health

By Prof Elisa Morgera

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“The ocean and its biodiversity play a key role in regulating the global climate and slowing climate change by absorption of excess heat, carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. Yet the potential of the ocean and marine ecosystems to achieve the international climate goals are still largely overlooked in intergovernmental climate negotiations. We distil here key inter-disciplinary research findings across the marine, social and legal sciences on the ocean-climate nexus and propose to take more synergistic, preventive and precautionary approaches to the interdependencies of climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the protection of marine biodiversity and human rights. 

Considering the widely shared hopes across the international communities that climate finance can plug the gaping hole of resources devoted to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 (Life below water) which remains the least funded SDG of all, this policy brief calls for creating a multi-actor coalition for a comprehensive, sustainable and inclusive approach to ocean-based climate action that would set the necessary framework for channelling climate finance to the ocean. We recommend developing this coalition across different international treaties and United Nations bodies to ‘protect and restore the ocean’s contributions to climate regulation, human well-being and planetary health’….”

Photo: Jakob Owens, Unsplash