COP26 - Ocean & Climate Action
Rebecca Daniel
Over the past few weeks, your screens may have been flooded with talk about climate change and COP26. But what actually is COP, and how do the decisions made there affect the ocean? The Marine Diaries breaks down the key pledges, actions, and outcomes made in Glasgow.
[ Updated 22/11/2021 ]
COP26 was widely anticipated as the time for real action on climate change. Five years on from the Paris Agreement, countries were expected to re-submit their national pledges (NDCs) on how they will tackle their emissions. With individuals, businesses, and governments around the world finally waking up to the impact of emissions on our planet, and the stark warning given by the latest IPCC report, hopes were high for real action on climate change at this year’s COP.
The UK government, as hosts of COP26, scheduled a number of announcements across the 2 week period. Boris Johnson coined these “coal, cars, cash and trees”. But what about oceans?
Numerous organisations have been pushing for the ocean to be included on the agenda at COP. The ocean is the largest carbon sink on the planet, and blue carbon can and should be considered as an effective way to tackle climate change. The ocean could account for ⅕ of the annual emissions cuts needed to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C, according to a recent report by the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy. This dwarfs the cuts that could be achieved by cutting out coal-fired power plants worldwide.
As more and more research is published, we are also realising that the way we use the ocean’s resources is contributing to climate change. In fact, bottom-trawling the ocean releases as much CO2 as the whole aviation industry!
So it is clear that the ocean needs to be on the table at international climate conferences. And it was pleasing to see that the ocean was represented at COP26, through artwork, discussions, and actions. But it was far from enough. The ocean was not even given an official day in the UK Presidency Programme. This doesn’t marry up with the fact that the ocean covers 70% of our planet.
Explore how the ocean was covered at COP26 below, and catch up on any ocean discussions you may have missed through The Marine Diaries handy spreadsheet.
Ocean Representation at COP26
Ocean Discussions at COP26
Ocean Action at COP26
What COP26 Outcomes Mean for the Ocean
Ocean Representation at COP26
COP26 Blue Zone
The ‘Blue Zone’ in the SEC is where most of the action takes place. Official negotiations, as well as panel discussions, side events, and exhibits are hosted here. It is accessible to party delegations, alongside observer organisations and media - all individuals must be accredited by the UNFCCC.
Inside the Blue Zone, attendees are reminded of the ocean’s crucial role in mitigating climate change through a film shown in the main cafeteria, produced by Blue Marine Foundation.
Also in the cafetiera, a shoal of salmon dangle from the ceiling. ‘Salmon School’ by Joseph Rossano, was brought to COP26 by the Missing Salmon Alliance. A total of 500 salmon made from mirrored glass highlight the extinction risk to wild salmon in Scotland and overseas.
There was no physical ocean pavilion at COP this year, which was sorely disappointing. Many people from the ocean industry said it meant finding events to attend and like-minded people to meet was very difficult. The Virtual Ocean Pavilion was jam-packed with a total of 25 virtual exhibits, with links to videos, toolkits, and calls to action, as well as a programme of events. If all of the virtual ocean exhibits had been physically present at COP, they would have taken up roughly 20% of the pavilion hall…
Salmon hang from the ceiling in the main cafetiera in the Blue Zone at COP26. Behind, the ‘Climate Canopy’ by NSAS and Alison Smith, sways gently. Photo: Doug Peters / UK Government.
I witnessed many people wander in and out of the pavilions in the Blue Zone non-selectively, to listen to discussions, chat to representatives, and learn about what was on display. That can’t happen with a virtual pavilion. People who attend online are self-selecting - they already have some interest in ocean issues. By not having a physical presence at COP, the ocean community was sidelined.
Luckily, several pavilions did host their own discussions around the ocean (see Ocean Discussions at COP26 below).
Discover the Blue Zone in the video below!
COP26 Green Zone
The ‘Green Zone’ is for the general public to learn about COP26 and climate change. Just across the river in Glasgow Science Centre, it hosted events such as workshops and panel discussions, as well as art installations, exhibitions, technology demos and musical performances.
In the main exhibition area, Go Dharmic promoted their mangrove plantation project as part of their ‘Give it a Grow’ campaign.
A living installation composed of trees, ‘Nature’s Odyssey’ by Sky and WWF showcased the world’s most advanced climate solution - nature. Educating visitors about seagrass and kelp, amongst other ecosystems, through interactive and visual displays, it ended with a message about the importance of the ocean for climate action.
Through VR headsets showing ‘Racing the King Tide’, the plight of low-lying islands in the Philippines was portrayed. This form of immersive media connects viewers with the communities on the front-lines of climate change.
Discover the Green Zone in the video below!
Ocean Discussions at COP26
The Marine Diaries will compile a list of all ocean events at COP26, with recording links which will be shared here. If you hosted or attended an event (in-person or online) please get in touch with our team so we can include it.
Ocean Action at COP26
It wasn’t all talk at COP26, luckily there was some action too!
On the second day of COP (2nd November) during the World Leader’s Summit, members of the Ocean Panel (which is supported by Peter Thomson, UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean) met to discuss ocean and climate issues and released a call for ‘ocean based climate action.’
On 4th November, the Palau and the US launched a 90-day challenge. It calls for initiatives to be prepared by countries, industry, and civil society in the run up to the next Our Ocean Conference (OOC) in February 2022. Initiatives should cover key topic areas of MPAs, blue economies, climate change, sustainable fisheries, marine pollution, and maritime security.
Although there was no official ocean day in the Presidency Programme, the UK government marked the 5th November as ‘Ocean Action Day’. Multiple actions and initiatives were launched on this day.
Ocean Protection
Calls for “30 by 30” - to protect 30% of the world’s ocean (and land) area by 2030 - were repeatedly made at COP26. Evidence indicates that achieving this target will not only help to reverse adverse ecological impacts and preserve fish populations, but will also help to increase resilience to climate change and sustain long-term ocean health. Several countries signed onto the pledge, and now over 100 countries support this target! New signatories included: Bahrain, India, Saudi Arabia, Jamaica, St Lucia, Sri Lanka, Georgia, Qatar, Samoa, Tonga, and The Gambia. Colombia took this one step further, and pledged to protect 30% of it’s marine (and terrestrial) territories by 2022 (8 years earlier).
And action to achieve this target was taken immediately, with Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Panama announcing the creation of a new MPA. This new initiative builds on the existing Action Plan for the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor (CMAR), of which MPAs are a core part. Expanding existing national protections, the MPA will cover a total area of 500,000 km2, split into a no-take zone and a no-longline fishing zone. This will create a safe swim-way for tuna, turtles, whales, sharks, and rays in one of the world’s most biodiverse ocean regions.
This type of marine protection, crossing territorial boundaries, has never been seen before.
“A new era - to provide protection to species which know no frontiers - has been born.”
- Max Bello, Ocean Policy Advisor, Mission Blue.
Colombia, Costa-Rica, Ecuador and Panama announce the creation of a new MPA at COP26. Photo: Campaign for Nature.
Western Indian Ocean states also launched the Great Blue Wall initiative at COP26. The movement aims to establish a network of ‘seascapes’, which will be designated as IUCN Category VI protected areas. Sites for conservation and restoration of vital marine ecosystems like coral reefs, mangrove forests, and seagrass meadows will be identified. Importantly, local stakeholders, including indigenous communities, will play a critical role in the management of the network. And crucially, the initiative is designed to support the livelihoods of the local community and unlock the potential of a blue economy, by creating jobs and providing funding, training, and technical assistance.
During COP26, the first seascape (the Tanga-Pemba Seascape) was launched at a parallel event in Tanzania.
“The Great Blue Wall is a model for building climate resilience and livelihoods as well as managing the sustainable use and restoration of marine ecosystems worldwide.”
- Dr Bruno Oberle, Director General, IUCN.
These initiatives show immense promise, and take the first crucial steps towards collaboration between countries to achieve enhanced ocean protection.
Ocean Finance
Various funding mechanisms for ocean protection and restoration were launched at COP26.
Belize, in partnership with the Nature Conservancy, announced the finalisation of the biggest debt-for-marine conservation deal yet. The Blue Bond for Ocean Conservation allows Belize to secure debt-relief in exchange for ocean conservation. An estimated $180 million will be generated to support the country's commitment to 30 by 30, as well as support the local economy.
During a Blue Finance Roundtable, the ORRAA announced the launch of an initiative to increase investment into nature-based solutions in coastal and marine environments. Major commitments were announced by governments and the private sector, including the UK and Canadian governments, Google, Deutsche Bank, and others. Pledges made at COP26 total $20 million.
Funds were also pledged to the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, PROBLUE, and the Fijian government. The Global Fund for Coral Reefs helps conserve and restore coral reefs and support the communities which rely on them. PROBLUE is a fund by the World Bank that supports the development of the blue economy. The Fijian government, supported by the UN, is working to issue its first sovereign blue bond, which will raise funds to establish new MPAs, nature-based solutions, and put their blue economy on track for carbon neutrality by 2050.
Blue Carbon
A new group was launched to address the important role of blue carbon in tackling the current climate and biodiversity emergencies. The UK Blue Carbon Forum is composed of environmental NGOs, universities and other groups. It will create a long-overdue space for discussions on how to conserve and restore these vital ecosystems. The forum will build knowledge of the carbon storage potential of these ecosystems, and channel this into UK policy development for responding to climate change.
“Over three quarters of the UK is under the sea, yet carbon accounting stops on land, creating a substantial blind spot around the carbon storage potential of UK seas.”
- Dr Simon Walmsley, Chief Marine Advisor, WWF & Co-Host, UK Blue Carbon Forum.
And the UK government is already taking steps to include blue carbon in their climate change agenda. It announced it will establish a cross-Administration UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership. This partnership will bring UK administrations together to address key research questions related to blue carbon policy, including how to include saltmarsh and seagrass in their greenhouse gas reporting. The Environment Agency (a UK government agency) has also published handbooks on restoration and protection of seagrass, saltmarsh, and intertidal sediments to combat climate change.
What COP26 Outcomes Mean for the Ocean
Coming soon…