COMMITMENTS AND CONTRIBUTIONS
UNFCCC & Ocean Acidification
There are multiple impacts of climate change to our ocean including ocean warming, acidification, deoxygenation, sea-level rise, more frequent and intense storms, marine heat waves, loss of marine life and habitat, climate variability, and changing circulation.
Together, these impacts are causing harm by displacing people, damaging coastal ecosystems, communities and property, decreasing food security and sovereignty, impacting jobs and livelihoods and threatening cultural practices and traditions.
Ocean acidification (OA) is a direct result of human-caused carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and is altering the chemical balance of seawater that marine life depends upon for proper functioning and survival. OA has been acknowledged as a slow-onset climate event by the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention.
The most recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) AR6 Report shows ocean warming, ocean acidification & deoxygenation will continue to increase in the 21st century at rates dependent on future emissions of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases (GHG). The IPCC AR6 states with high confidence that ocean warming, and ocean acidification have already affected food production including shellfish aquaculture and fisheries in some regions (IPCC, 2022). The IPCC consistently reports impacts and risks to ocean ecosystems from climate change under various warming scenarios.
While increasing ambition to meet Convention goals and targets (and specifically, drastically reducing CO2 emissions) is paramount for mitigating OA, there are actions that Parties can and should be taking now that will allow for increased adaptation and resilience of vulnerable ecosystems and species, further bolstering the ability of human communities to cope with future change.
Enhancing regional knowledge of ocean and coastal risks and impacts caused by climate change— alongside understanding and engaging with coastal community priorities—will help inform the most meaningful adaptation options.
Accelerating OA Action at COP28
The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) occured in Dubai November 30- December 12, 2023.
The COP marked a critical moment to inventory global progress towards meetings goals and targets of the Paris Agreement and to chart an ambitious path forward for climate-ocean action. COP28 President, the United Arab Emirates, also focused global attention on efforts to transform and protect food systems in response to climate change.
The COP ended with all countries agreeing to shifting energy systems away from fossil fuels, including a “phase-down” of coal power.
The first ever Global Stocktake (GST) was undertaken and can now be used by countries to develop stronger climate action plans due by 2025. The GST recognizes the science that indicates global greenhouse gas emissions need to be cut 43% by 2030, compared to 2019 levels. It also calls for a tripling of renewable energy capacity and doubling energy efficiency improvements by 2030.
We know that UNFCCC bodies and mechanisms can be leveraged to ensure adequate and equitable investments in climate-ocean change information, gaps analysis, and capacity or technology transfer that result in better preparedness, mitigation, and adaptation choices for all. Learn more below about how OA and ocean issues were represented across core thematic areas at COP28!
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The Global Stocktake (GST) includes ocean and marine elements and makes explicit references about the need to safeguard food security, particularly food production systems that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. It notes the importance of ocean and coastal ecosystems as both carbon sinks and as vital resources offering economic, social and environmental benefits that will require adaptation and resilience building strategies to maintain.
Parties are called to preserve and restore oceans and coastal ecosystems and scale up ocean-based mitigation action. Significantly, the GST requests all Parties conduct up-to-date assessments of climate risks and vulnerabilities to inform their National Adaptation Plans by 2030, undertaking efforts to improve relevant observing, data and information by 2027.
Moving forward, it’s critical that climate risk and vulnerability assessments accurately measure and reflect ongoing impacts of ocean warming, acidification and oxygen loss caused by GHG and carbon emissions. Further, OA Action Plans can help governments identify ocean mitigation and adaptation targets as part of their reporting to UNFCCC.
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Governments agreed on targets for the Global Goal on Adaptation (GGA) which will help regions, countries and communities become more resilient to the impacts of climate change. The GGA has a particular focus on the protection of livelihoods and economies, and the preservation and regeneration of nature for current and future generations.
The GGA incorporates a number of ocean, coastal and marine aspects including the need for achieving climate-resilient food production, reducing climate impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity, and accelerating the use of ecosystem-based adaptation and nature-based solutions, including through management, restoration and conservation of marine and coastal ecosystems.
The GGA also reinforces the need for all countries to conduct climate risk and vulnerability assessments by 2030, and places extra emphasis on the need for national monitoring, evaluation and learning to inform place-based adaptation strategies.
Efforts the like Ocean Acidification Research for Sustainability Programme through UN Decade of Ocean Science can play an important role supporting governments with the monitoring and evaluation necessary to inform the best adaptation choices.
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Climate finance took center stage at COP28, referred to as the “great enabler of climate action.” The GGA emphasized that increased, timely and predictable climate finance will be needed to support countries in communities in responding the impacts of GHG and carbon emissions.
The Green Climate Fund (GCF) received a second replenishment to support countries with adaptation projects, with six countries pledging new funding. The fund now includes USD 12.8 billion from 31 countries, with further contributions expected.
At the OA Alliance, we know that UNFCCC bodies and entities like the Green Climate Fund can be leveraged to ensure adequate and equitable investments in climate-ocean change information, gaps analysis, and capacity or technology transfer that result in better preparedness, mitigation, and adaptation choices for all Parties—particularly as relates to food security and sovereignty.
The OA Alliance has issued recommendations for advancing climate finance for ocean adaptation through the UNFCCC.
On 10 December, the United States announced the release of the U.S. Ocean Acidification (OA) Action Plan during a COP28 side event at Ocean Pavilion co-hosted by NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, U.S. Department of State, and OA Alliance.
This side event was co-hosted by NOAA Ocean Acidification Program, U.S. Department of State, and International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification ('OA Alliance'), entitled “U.S. Release of National Ocean Acidification Action Plan: National governments commitment to policy and investments to implement SDG 14.3 “to minimize and address OA”.
During this side event, other government leaders made commitments to domestic OA Actions including representatives from France, Sweden, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. The U.S. is calling on more national governments to create OA Action Plans by UN Ocean Conference 2025, to support implementation of SDG 14.3
COP27, known as the “implementation COP,” was hosted on November 6-20 2022 by the Egyptian Presidency under the UNFCCC in Sharm el Sheikh.
The OA Alliance engaged across events and discussions in order to:
Accelerate GHG reduction commitments
Emphasize ocean adaptation and resilience needs
Increase finance and technical capacity
Showcase implementation of OA Action Plans
UNFCCC OCEAN AND CLIMATE CHANGE DIALOGUE
A growing caucus of national governments and ocean focused civil society leaders have called for deeper recognition of ocean mitigation and adaptation issues across the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Recent UN climate change conferences have accelerated calls for the integration of ocean issues across the UNFCCC and other relevant UN frameworks.
The decision at COP25 called for the first ever UNFCCC Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue to discuss options for strengthening ocean mitigation and adaptation across the UNFCCC and other relevant UN frameworks. Taking place 2-3 December 2020, the Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue invited Parties and non-Party stakeholders to consider approaches to strengthening ocean related adaptation and mitigation action across the UNFCCC. The decision at COP26 called a reoccuring Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue to be held annually in June as part of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice. This marks a significant step towards institutionalizing the ocean-climate dialogue more formally in the UNFCCC process.
Importantly, the Dialogue provides a space to discuss actions, drawing upon the knowledge and scientific findings from IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate and the submissions from Parties and non-Party stakeholders.
A review of the 47 submissions (20 submitted by Parties and 27 by non-Parties) made to the 1st Ocean and Climate Dialogue show that ocean and ecosystem impacts were more frequently considered by non-party submission than by Party submissions, and that OA was the second most mentioned behind warming.
This means that increased guidance on ocean and coastal mitigation and adaptation are needed across the UNFCCC. Enhancing regional knowledge of ocean and coastal risks and impacts caused by climate change will help inform the most meaningful strategies.
Figure sourced from : Figure 2(a) of Bobbi-Jo Dobush, Natalya D. Gallo, Melania Guerra, Bleuenn Guilloux, Elisabeth Holland, Sarah Seabrook & Lisa A. Levin (2022) A new way forward for ocean-climate policy as reflected in the UNFCCC Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue submissions, Climate Policy, 22:2, 254-271, DOI: 10.1080/14693062.2021.1990004
Ocean & Climate Dialogue in 2023
Building upon previous editions, this year’s Ocean and Climate Dialogue 2023 is being held June 13-14 in Bonn, Germany as part of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice.
The Dialogue will be co-facilitated by Chile and Canada and focus on: (1) the role of coastal ecosystem restoration, including blue carbon ecosystems; and (2) fisheries and food security in the context of climate change.
We know that UNFCCC bodies and mechanisms can be leveraged to ensure adequate and equitable investments in climate-ocean change information, gaps analysis, and capacity or technology transfer that result in better preparedness, mitigation, and adaptation choices for all Parties—particularly as relates to food security and sovereignty.
The OA Alliance will be engaging in the upcoming Ocean and Climate Dialogue, sharing our recommendations to strengthen UNFCCC response to ocean warming, acidification, and deoxygenation.
OA Alliance Inputs 2022
Building on this momentum, the OA Alliance has suggested topics for the 2022 UNFCCC Ocean and Climate Dialogue which addressed ocean mitigation and adaptation measures across climate frameworks.
Our input, "Advancing Ocean and Coastal Adaptation" calls for increased climate financing to support adaptation and climate preparedness, and is endorsed by Friends of Ocean Action and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.
SPECIFICALLY, WE NEED TO:
Increase and ease access to climate financing for ocean and coastal climate monitoring and research, risk assessments and remediation or adaptation measures. This should be explored through the Global Environment Facility, Green Climate Fund, Adaptation Fund, Standing Committee on Finance and other appropriate mechanisms.
Incorporate OA and other ocean-climate change indicators across a range of universally accepted adaptation strategies like disaster risk management and recovery, cost-benefit frameworks, early warning systems, climate services and risk spreading.
Consider and evaluate the role of and Nature-Based Solutions across freshwater, coastal and ocean ecosystems to mitigate and build resilience to climate change.
Expand guidance for incorporating ocean mitigation opportunities and adaptation needs across Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs.)
Emphasize proper financing and implementation for UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.3.1: to minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification and to establish a common methodology for reporting measurements.
Ocean & Climate Dialogue Summary 2022
“FAO’s expectation from this dialogue is to raise the profile of aquatic food production as part of climate solutions to make sure that the communities who depend on this sector for their food, jobs and culture are visible and empowered.”
“We need to close the funding gap for adaptation. Official recognition of the outcomes of this dialogue is one clear next step in the UNFCCC process that can inform future funding, funding priorities and implementation plans for ocean climate action at the national and local level.”