Resulting from the joint efforts of the Ocean & Coastal Zones community under the Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action, and building on the Ocean for Climate Declaration, the Ocean Breakthroughs identify five turning points to reach by 2030 to achieve a healthy and productive ocean in 2050. They are articulated around five key ocean sectors: marine conservation, ocean renewable energy, shipping, aquatic food, and coastal tourism. Accelerated action and investments in each will help unlock the potential of the ocean as a source of solutions to the pressing challenges posed by climate change and biodiversity loss.
The scientific evidence is clear: as a major climate regulator and the largest living space on Earth, the ocean is instrumental to deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement and the Global Biodiversity Framework. The Ocean Breakthroughs are science-based targets designed to boost mitigation and adaptation efforts, for the benefit of People and Nature. They will contribute to delivering on the global campaigns led by the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions, namely the Race to Resilience and Race to Zero, and their respective action agendas: the Sharm-El-Sheikh Adaptation Agenda and the 2030 Breakthroughs.
“In the vast expanse of our ocean lies the potential for a brighter, more resilient and nature-rich world. Today, at the IUCN Leaders Forum, I am honoured to introduce the Ocean Breakthroughs — a science-aligned blueprint which will see five pivotal sectors converge to make over a third of the emissions cuts we so greatly need. Let’s dive deep and unite in purpose for the world we hold dear.” H.E. Razan Al Mubarak, UN High-Level Climate Champion for COP 28
With this set of sectoral pathways, the Marrakech Partnership on Ocean & Coastal Zones outlines a roadmap for transformative and ambitious action at the scale of entire systems. In addition, the Ocean Breakthroughs will act as a compass, not only for non-State actors (NSA) but also for Governments. Indeed, they are rooted in the “Blue Ambition Loop” which demonstrates how strong leadership from NSA can positively influence governments and drive more ambitious public policies.
Ultimately, the Ocean Breakthroughs aim at informing the Global Stocktake to ensure the potential of ocean-based climate solutions is well recognized in the outcomes of the process to resume at COP28. Building on a whole-of-society approach, it must be all hands on deck to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and safeguard our Blue Planet.
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The Ocean Breakthroughs are supported by the following organizations in their respective fields:
If your organization is interested in supporting the Ocean Breakthroughs ahead of COP28, please contact: cylam@ocean-climate.org
About the Marrakesh Partnership for Global Climate Action:
Under the leadership of the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions (HLC), the MP-GCA acts as a framework to raise ambition and help accelerate the pace and scale of climate action. It especially aims at strengthening and nurturing the mobilization of NSAs and their collaboration with Parties to the UNFCCC.
“Ocean and coastal zones” is one of the priority themes of the MP-GCA, among seven others (Energy, Human settlements, Industry, Land Use, Ocean and Coastal Zones, Transport and Water). The MP-GCA Ocean & Coastal Zones brings together 120 organizations – including NGOs, business and industry, Indigenous populations, research and academic institutes, international organisations – to raise ambition and accelerate ocean-based climate solutions.
Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, Director for Nutrition, Health and Food Security Impact Area Platform, CGIAR and winner of the 2021 World Food Prize aquatic foods explains why aquatic foods — managed and produced sustainably — have the potential to revolutionize our diets and contribute to food security.
As the Our Ocean Conference begins in Greece this week, Race to Resilience partner, the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA), underscores the critical need for investments in a regenerative and sustainable blue economy – vital for tackling the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss.
The momentum for implementing ocean-based policy frameworks at COP28 has become undeniable, which will have a profound impact on the ocean and the people who depend on these ecosystems. Delivering on these solutions will require unprecedented levels of action, cooperation and collaboration, explains Kristina Rodriguez, Oceans & Coastal Zone Fellow.
In the wake of the IPCC’s latest synthesis report, the Ocean & Climate Platform (OCP) has published a paper on the role of marine ecosystems, the impacts of human activities and climate change, and the solutions they could offer.
