UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14.2 states that by 2020 we should have: sustainably managed and protected marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience and act for their restoration, to achieve healthy and productive oceans.
“The ocean is the great regulator of the climate, through the water cycle, oceanic circulation and the oceanic biological pump.” -Peter Thomson, UN Special Envoy for the Ocean
Heatwaves: In 2020, more than 80 per cent of the world’s oceans experienced marine heatwaves
Sea Level Rise: Sea-level rise impacts tourism infrastructure and beaches, and affects agriculture by submerging land, salinising soil and groundwater, and eroding coasts (HLP Ocean Solutions, 2020).
Acidification: Increasing acidification is limiting the ocean’s capacity to moderate climate change by diminishing its capacity to absorb CO2
Financial Cost: Without meaningful and proactive mitigation measures, by 2050, the cost of damage from climate change could reach US$322 billion per year (MPA Finance, 2022).
Shifting the Rhythm of Nature (Phenology): Climate change precipitates disrupted and unpredictable weather patterns, which in turn affect the lifecycle (breeding, egg laying, spawning, migration, etc.,) of countless species among other affects.
When better managed, protected, and restored, the ocean and ocean ecosystems help mitigate climate change and provide adaptation co-benefits.
A healthy ocean is critical to meeting global climate, sustainable development and biodiversity goals. It is vital we utilize nature-based solutions, innovate in key sectors including renewable energy and shipping, and address the many human activities that threaten our ocean.
The shipping industry contributes nearly 3 per cent of all global GHG emissions, making addressing shipping emissions vital for ocean-climate action.
Mangrove Forests sequester carbon at a rate up to 4 times faster than tropical forests on land and by acting as a natural coastal defence against storm surges, tsunamis, rising sea levels and coastal erosion, they help protect coastal communities from the various adverse effects of climate change.
Seagrass Meadows cover just 0.1 per cent of the ocean floor, yet they store around 18 per cent of all oceanic carbon.
Coastal Wetlands such as salt marshes have an annual carbon sequestration rate up to 50 times greater than terrestrial forests. They provide a valuable coastal defense against sea-level rise and protect coastal ecosystems and communities as they store and dissipate floodwaters.
Protecting and restoring coastal and marine ecosystems promotes cost-effective carbon sequestration while ensuring that the high levels of sequestered carbon in soils and vegetation remain where they are. Restoration of mangroves and coastal wetlands also reduces risks associated with seaweed level rise and severe weather events by reducing coastal erosion and protecting coasts from storm surges (IPCC AR6, 2021).
