New Member Press Release - ZESTAs
International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification welcomes Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association (ZESTAs) as a new affiliate member, joining a team of partners working to increase ambition for climate action and transform response to climate-ocean change.
With excitement we announce that the Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association (ZESTAs) has joined the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance) during the 12th World Ocean Summit taking place in Tokyo, Japan.
The OA Alliance brings together governments and organizations from across the globe dedicated to taking urgent action to protect coastal communities and livelihoods from the threat of ocean acidification and climate-ocean change.
Affiliate members commit to elevating the issue of ocean acidification in keeping with their mission and capacity. Affiliate members engage as supporters of the Alliance and where possible, join events and programmes that help advance the Alliance goals.
It’s an honor to have ZESTAs join the OA Alliance. The shipping sector has a crucial role in combatting ocean acidification, from reducing green house gas and carbon emissions, supporting cleaner fuel alternatives and working to prevent harmful pollution from dumping that makes acidification worse. We need the shipping sectors’ leadership on this critical transboundary issue, ZESTAs is showing the way. - Jessie Turner, Executive Director of the OA Alliance.
By joining the OA Alliance, ZESTAs will be advancing the following goals:
Reduce carbon dioxide emissions, the #1 cause of ocean acidification.
Expand awareness and understanding of ocean acidification.
Engaging policy makers or resources managers.
Build sustained international support for tackling this global problem.
ZESTAs is at the forefront of Absolute Zero Emissions shipping, eliminating GHG emissions at their source to address climate-ocean stressors such as ocean acidification and warming. Through initiatives like the ShipZERO Workshops and active engagement through their consultative status at the IMO, they advocate for zero-emission technologies and shape international guidelines to support their adoption. Their collaborations focus on developing Absolute Zero Emissions ecosystems, including building port infrastructure, advancing renewable energy and green hydrogen supply chains, and deploying zero-emission vessels. By connecting innovators, policymakers, and investors, ZESTAs accelerate practical solutions to climate-ocean challenges and bolster ocean resilience.
The shipping industry must take full responsibility for its climate impact. Ocean acidification, warming, and deoxygenation are direct consequences of continued fossil fuel dependence. At ZESTAs, we are not advocating for reductions—we are pushing for total elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. Zero must mean absolute zero. Only by deploying Absolute Zero Emissions shipping technologies at scale can we protect our oceans and ensure a sustainable future for marine ecosystems, and coastal communities while, most importantly keeping our planet within range of 1.5 degrees warming. - Madadh MacLaine, Secretary General, ZESTAs
The OA Alliance and its network of members actively engages across the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda (particularly under SDGs 13 and 14) and is supporting the development of OA information through the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainability.
About the OA Alliance
The International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification (OA Alliance) brings together governments and organizations from across the globe dedicated to increasing ambition for climate action and transforming the global response to climate-ocean change. The OA Alliance includes over 120 members across 22 countries representing a diversity of national, state, municipal, and sovereign tribal, indigenous, and First Nation governments along with many dedicated affiliate partners like NGOs, seafood industry leaders, and local academia.
www.oaalliance.org | Contact: jturner@unfoundation.org
About Zero Emissions Ship Technology Association (ZESTAs)
ZESTAs is an international trade association representing Absolute Zero Emissions energy sources and technologies to the maritime sector. Absolute Zero means no upstream GHGs, with the additional benefit of no pollution to our oceans and drastically reduced underwater radiated noise. The association is driving systemic change by establishing Absolute Zero Emission Maritime Ecosystems on a global scale, bringing together stakeholders across the value chain via their ShipZERO programme of projects and workshops. ZESTAs holds provisional consultative status at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), influencing standards, regulations, and policy, as well as UNFCCC accreditation and membership in the Marrakesh Partnership.
www.zestas.org | Contact: madadh.maclaine@zestas.org