8 December 2023, Friday, Philippine Pavilion, COP 28 Blue Zone

Click HERE for the recording

Climate change has profound impacts on oceans and vice versa. This has been confirmed in devastating detail by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its “Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate” published in 2019. According to this Report, climate change is projected to cause ocean warming - which results in sea-level rise, coral bleaching, and changes in storm patterns and precipitation - and ocean acidification – which dissolves calcium carbonate in shellfish and corals, and affects the size, behaviour, and physiology of organisms. For countries such as the Philippines with 80% of its population living in coastal municipalities and fisheries accounting for 40% of total animal-sourced protein consumed, ocean-based adaptation is necessary to ensure food security for the coming generations.

On the other hand, oceans have the potential to contribute greatly to adaptation and mitigation efforts that will allow us to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. With their ability to store large amounts of heat and planet-warming carbon dioxide, the oceans can help to put the brakes on rampant warming. From the implementation of marine protected areas to the more controversial ocean fertilization efforts, the global ocean, which covers 71% of the Earth’s surface, has the potential to play a major role in climate action. In the Ocean Dialogue held in 2022, Parties and non-Party stakeholders discussed, among others, how ocean-climate action can be integrated in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and shared current and innovative options for ocean climate solutions including finance, technology, capacity building, and science.

With this in mind, the side event will attempt to highlight recent international policy developments on the ocean and climate change nexus and identify opportunities to further harness ocean-based adaptation and mitigation to address the climate crisis.

Moderator

» Railla Puno, Research Associate, Climate Change Law and Policy, NUS CIL

Panellists

» Nilufer Oral, Director of NUS-CIL, Co-Chair of the UN International Law Commission, and Co-Chair of the Study Group on Sea-level rise in relation to international law

» Theresa Mundita Lim, Executive Director, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity

» Jhorace Tupas, OIC Chief, Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Management Section, DENR BMB

» Emily Landis, Climate and Ocean Lead, The Nature Conservancy

» Audrey Tan, Science Communication and Outreach Lead, NUS Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions