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Climate

The ocean is a solution to climate change.

For decades, the ocean has buffered the planet from the negative effects of excess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and this has taken a toll on the ocean’s health.

It was once thought the ocean was too big to fail—but, in reality, it is too big to ignore. We now know that not only do human actions impact the ocean, but that they can also play a much bigger role in combatting climate change.

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Ocean health and the livelihoods and economies that depend on it require the world to urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

The only way we can achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement is through greater climate action by all countries. Ocean-based climate solutions can deliver up to 35% of the annual greenhouse gas emission cuts needed in 2050 to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C.

These solutions include:

  • Scaling ocean-based renewable energy
  • Decarbonising ocean-based transport
  • Conserving and restoring coastal and marine ecosystems
  • Utilising low carbon food from the ocean
  • Developing marine carbon dioxide removal and carbon capture and storage under the seabed
  • Decarbonising ocean-based tourism
  • Reducing offshore oil and gas

In 2019, Ocean Panel launched a ‘Call to Ocean-Based Climate Action’ at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York to outline a pathway towards greater action on ocean-based climate solutions.

While significant global progress has been made, the latest IPCC reports emphasise the gap that remains between ambition and action.

The Ocean Panel remains committed to ocean-based climate action and urges all actors to join them in advancing ambitious ocean-based solutions to support global efforts to urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Ocean Panel leaders discuss the value of ocean-climate solutions in tackling climate change.

Featured Resources

Full Report
Summary
Full Report
Summary
Call to Action
Statement
Accelerating Ocean Climate Action Booklet

Recent News

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12/14/2023

Top Ocean Moments at COP28

COP28 negotiations in Dubai ended early on the morning of 13 December, as countries agreed on a new deal to tackle climate change. For the first time, fossil fuels (coal, oil, and gas) are mentioned…
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12/05/2023

New Green Shipping Challenge Announcements made at COP28

Last year at COP27, two members of the Ocean Panel, Norway and the USA launched a new initiative to cut greenhouse gas emissions from shipping and challenged other countries, ports and companies to join them.  One…
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12/04/2023

Ocean Panel Calls for Nations to Adopt 100% Sustainable Ocean Management Target

DUBAI (December 2, 2023) — On December 2, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) launched the Joint Declaration on Ocean and Climate Action, calling for countries around the world to sustainably…
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12/02/2023

Joint declaration on ocean and climate action

The health of the ocean, and the livelihoods and economies that depend on it, requires the world to urgently reduce greenhouse gas emissions in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement. Achieving this goal…
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11/30/2023

10 ocean events to watch out for at COP28

This year’s COP offers a unique and historic opportunity to correct the course on climate change through the first-ever “Global Stocktake”, shining a spotlight on whether the world is doing enough to curb emissions, build…
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10/02/2023

Seychelles Op-Ed: The Ocean Offers Rich Solutions for Climate Change

As one of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), we face a unique set of vulnerabilities that impede our ability to achieve sustainable development. Structural factors, including our size, remoteness, limited resource base, market size,…
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09/20/2023

Joint Ocean Panel Leaders Communiqué 2023

We, the members of the Ocean Panel, acknowledge that a healthy ocean is the foundation for a healthy planet, and we must take urgent and interlinked actions to address the triple planetary crisis of climate…
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06/28/2023

Ocean Panel Releases The Blue Carbon Handbook

The Ocean Panel released its latest report, 'The Blue Carbon Handbook', on the 28 June. With the urgency to accelerate climate action to halt the impacts of climate change, ‘blue carbon’ ecosystems offer a natural…
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06/08/2023

Chile’s Sustainable Ocean Plan

Chile’s Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren, and the Ministers who conform the Council for National Ocean Policy, recently signed a decree to enact Chile’s National Ocean Program. This will serve as Chile’s Sustainable Ocean Plan,…
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04/26/2023

Mexico hosts Sustainable Ocean Plan event

Mexico City, Mexico – 27 April, 2023  The Mexican Government is holding an event in collaboration with the Government of Norway that aims to generate an inclusive dialogue on the sustainable ocean economy. Representatives from…
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Publications

Tracking Blue: From Ambition to Action for a Sustainable Ocean Economy

The First Progress Report from The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy In...

Opportunities for Transforming Coastal and Marine Tourism: Towards Sustainability, Regeneration and Resilience

In December 2020, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (Ocean Panel) released...

The Ocean as a Solution to Climate Change: Updated Opportunities for Action

The ocean regulates our climate and can significantly buffer the worst impacts of climate change,...

100% Sustainable Ocean Management: An Introduction to Sustainable Ocean Plans

In 2020, the members of the Ocean Panel announced their shared ambition to sustainably manage...

Ocean Solutions that Benefit People, Nature and the Economy

'Ocean Solutions that Benefit People, Nature and the Economy' is a report commissioned by the...

Ocean Finance: Financing the Transition to a Sustainable Ocean Economy

The paper demonstrates the role insurance can play in accelerating the transition and how ocean-related...
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