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PML contributes to multi-organisational report highlighting ocean and climate action
22 November 2023
The Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action (ROCA) initiative, involving governments, international agencies, NGOs, scientific institutions, private sector, and subnational authorities, has today released its 5th ‘Assessing Progress on Ocean and Climate Action’ report, to which PML is a contributing author.
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Globally, the world experienced many major disasters in 2022, including 14 severe weather events, six floods, five droughts, three tropical cyclones, and one windstorm. Human-caused climate change is thought to intensify these types of events and as a consequence, vulnerable populations across the globe will likely face more severe, extreme displacement in the future.
The ocean is the planet’s greatest carbon sink and acts as a buffer that protects the us and the planet from experiencing the full effects of climate change. This causes extreme stress to marine systems and the impacts of that stress are still largely unknown. Bold and innovative actions are needed to protect ocean health, build more sustainable and resilient economies, reduce poverty and help the most vulnerable.
The 2022 – 2023 ‘Assessing Progress on Ocean and Climate Action’ report aims to provide multidisciplinary updates on various sectoral and stakeholder initiatives in science, policy development, financing and other cross-cutting efforts on ocean and climate action.
This report, involving 67 co-authors from 46 organisations, provides information on positive forward movement and success stories, as well as identified needs and gaps in ocean affairs. This analysis is helpful in advancing more robust efforts toward the integration of ocean affairs in various programme streams of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), including through the nationally determined contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and the Global Stocktake (GST).
In addition to promoting awareness of the pivotal role of the ocean in climate change, this volume reports on: the use of ocean-based mitigation approaches, such as Blue Carbon, reducing air emissions from ships, renewable energy, carbon capture and storage; deployment of a wide variety of adaptation measures, especially based on ecosystem approaches; fostering the low carbon Blue Economy; addressing the issues of human displacement; providing adequate provision of financial flows, and capacity development.
Dr Matt Frost, Head of the PML International Office, said:
"This report is a great example of where experts across sectors and disciplines have all come together at a vital time to provide knowledge and expert analysis in support of action in the ocean-climate arena. It was great to be a contributing author on a report that will be a useful tool at the COP28 meeting and beyond."
The report was released during the ‘Preview Event: Showcasing the Oceans at COP28’ event of the Virtual Ocean Pavilion. To view the launch please visit the COP28 Ocean Pavilion website.
Related information
Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action (ROCA) initiative's 5th ‘Assessing Progress on Ocean and Climate Action’ report