Skip to content

Story

The UNFCCC Ocean and Climate Dialogue in the lead up to COP26

24 February 2021

PML has submitted recommendations for future climate action to a Dialogue on Ocean and Climate Change, in the run up to November’s UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.

Beach

The UN Climate Change meeting COP25 in 2019 was named the ‘Blue COP’ because of its focus on issues related to the ocean.

One outcome of the meeting was for the Chair of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) to convene a dialogue with UNFCCC Parties and non-Party stakeholders on the ocean and climate change to consider how to strengthen mitigation and adaptation action in this context.

The high level discussions at the dialogue, which took place over two evenings, drew upon the knowledge and scientific findings from IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate as well as submissions ahead of the dialogue from Parties and non-Party stakeholders.

PML’s submission was one of 47 received by the UNFCCC secretariat, and outlined six key areas for potential future action.

PML’s Dr Carol Turley was able to highlight one of the main recommendations for the UNFCCC to adopt the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) Global Climate Indicators in the Global Stocktake during the dialogue.

Four of the WMO’s indicators specifically relate to the ocean (ocean heat content, ocean acidification, sea level, and sea ice extent), so their inclusion would ensure oceans are more fully considered within the UNFCCC process.

Ocean_Dialogue_Day_1.png

Ocean Dialogue Day 1 summary (Artist: Hazel Hurley)

Related information

PML's submission to the Ocean Dialogue at the 52nd Session of SBSTA (June 2020) can be found here

The SBSTA summary report is expected early this year - find out more or and view recordings of the dialogue here