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COP25 ONE WEEK DOWN, ONE TO GO

After an exhausting but successful first week at COP25 in Madrid, the Because the Ocean team took a few deep breaths on Sunday 8 December, before gearing up for another busy week at the COP.

The Chilean COP25 Presidency wanted a Blue COP, and thanks to the participation of ocean experts and advocates from all over the world, a Blue COP it is.

It is virtually impossible to summarize the hundreds of events addressing the ocean-climate nexus which took place during the first week. Discussion on action arising from the Special Report of the IPCC on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC), the Because the Ocean initiative’s Ocean for Climate Report, the Ocean & Climate Platform’s Policy Recommendations, IDDRI’s Opportunities for increasing Ocean Action in Climate Strategies, and the release of IUCN’s Deoxygenation report, were among the week’s highlights.

Reception at the Thyssen Musuem, 3rd December, 2019

On Day 2, the Chilean Presidency organized a special event to announce its plan to launch a Platform of Ocean Solutions where Parties to the Paris Agreement and other stakeholders can share their commitments and plans to integrate ocean-related measures into their climate strategies. Prince Albert II of Monaco spoke at that meeting, together with COP25 President Carolina Schmidt, Chile’s Minister of Science André Couvé, Valérie Masson-Delmotte of the IPCC, and Because the Ocean Initiative Secretary Rémi Parmentier, followed by Emily Pidgeon of Conservation International and Jessie Turner of the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification. Later that evening, the Because the Ocean Initiative organized in partnership with the Ministry of Culture of Spain, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, and the TBA21 Foundation, a reception at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum to celebrate the release of the Ocean for Climate report and the display of Irish artist John Gerrard’s Western Flag masterpiece. Prince Albert II of Monaco, together with Spain’s Minister of Culture José Guirao, Spain’s Minister for the Ecological Transition Teresa Ribera, Chile’s Minister of Science André Couvé, and Francesca Thyssen, Founder and President of the TBA21 Foundation spoke at this event attended by some 250 representatives of the worlds of art, business, academia and COP25 delegates and observers.

The rest of the week saw various interventions from representatives of the Because the Ocean initiative, presenting and discussing the recommendations contained in the Ocean for Climate report. Our Secretary Rémi Parmentier facilitated the opening of COP25 Ocean Day at the Spanish Pavilion on the morning of 6 December, and spoke that afternoon at the high-level session of 13th Meeting of the Nairobi Partnership dedicated this year to action arising from the IPCC Special Report.

On 7 December, Rémi also facilitated the opening of the EU Ocean Day in the EU Pavilion, with participation of the newly appointed EU Commissioner for the Environment and Ocean Virginijus Sinkevicius and COP25 President Carolina Schmidt, among others.

What to watch for in Week Two:

It is no secret that throughout the week, a draft text on the ocean and climate nexus to be incorporated within the COP25 Decision document has been circulating among certain delegations. Conversations on this are expected to gain momentum during Week 2, especially as ministers will arrive early in the week.

Increasing ambition in the global fight against climate change is the main outcome sought at this, the last UNFCCC COP before Parties to the Paris Agreement present their plans for the second ambition period of the Agreement (the so-called Nationally Determined Contributions, or NDCs) over the course of next year. The Republic of the Marshall Islands is one of the first countries to do so and has just launched the Madrid Ambition Drive for Survival (#MAD4Survival) social media campaign, launched just yesterday by President Hilda Heine on behalf of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF).

Enhanced NDCs are critical given that the IPCC and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warn that the present trajectory of commitments would lead us much above the Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 1,5º identified by the IPCC.

The Chilean Presidency is preparing a special “Ambition Event” in the evening of 11 December, as a follow up to the Climate Action Summit organized by the UN Secretary General in New York last September. The hope is that countries commit to increasing their commitments and ambition for climate- (and ocean-!) safe planet.

COP25: Take a dive into the Blue COP

COP25 officially starts in six days, on Monday 2nd December. But delegates from the most far away countries are starting to arrive. Chileans, of course, as the Southern cone country hold the presidency of COP25. But you can also occasionally run into a representative from a South Pacific island country near Madrid’s landmark Puerta del Sol.

Like other ocean advocates, the Secretariat of the Because the Ocean initiative based in Madrid is making final preparations. On 26 November, the Secretary of the Initiative Rémi Parmentier was the guest speaker at a breakfast organized by the Spanish Network on Sustainable Development, attended by 78 stakeholders and journalists, where he shared his vision and expectations before the Blue COP, and its relation with the Sustainable Development Goal #14 on the Ocean.

So many ocean-related events are scheduled at COP25 that it is impossible to list all of them here. The full COP25 programme is available on the website of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Here is a list of the events in which representatives of the Because the Ocean Initiative are going to participate directly, as speakers and/or organizers. We shall endeavour to update this list regularly:

Monday 2nd December: 16h30-17h30 Ocean for Climate: Moving from Science to Policy – Organized by the Ocean & Climate Platform in co-operation with the Because the Ocean Initiative, in the French Pavillion with the office of the Prime Minister of France, Edouard Philippe

Tuesday 3rd December 13h15-14h15: Room 25 (Hall 9) Platform of Science-Based Ocean Solutions – Organised by the COP25 Presidency

Thursday 5th December 11h15-12h15: [Pacific] Ocean for Climate – organized jointly by the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Because the Ocean Initiative, in the Moana Blue Pacific Pavillion

Friday 6th December 12h00-13h30: Opening of the Spanish Pavillion’s Ocean Day, facilitated by the Because the Ocean Initiative – 18h00-21h00: Focal Point Forum of the Nairobi Work Programme on ocean

Saturday 7th December: 10h00-11h15: Opening of the EU Ocean Day in the EU Pavillion, moderated by the Because the Ocean Initiative – 14h45-15h45: Incorporating Ocean-Related Options in Nationally Determined Contributions, co-facilitated by the Ocean & Climate Platform and the Because the Ocean Initiative

Activities for the second week of COP25 will be communicated later, as appropriate.

All the above-mentioned events will take place in the Blue Zone accessible only for accredited delegates and observers. If you are not accredited, please check the programme of the Green Zone which is opened to the general public.

More to read: Blue is the new green, by Rémi Parmentier, Secretary of the Because the Ocean initiative. published on 29 November 2019 by Virgin Unite

COP25: The Blue COP Just Became bluer

When Chilean President Sebastian Piñera announced on 30 October that COP25 would not go forward in Santiago as planned, there was a scramble to reschedule it. After all, the latest science about dramatic changes in both the ocean and climate confirms we have no time to waste in moving forward with an ambitious international agenda.

Just one day later the Spanish government offered to host the conference in partnership with Chile, adhering to the original timetable (2-13 December). And just one day after that, the UNFCCC Bureau accepted this generous offer. Such decisions are generally taken on a geological timescale (okay, perhaps this is an exaggeration, but these things normally do take a lot of time); the rapid re-boot of COP25 is a testament to the strength of the international climate policy regime.

Chile was already a strong advocate for addressing the nexus between ocean and climate change, designating COP25 as “the Blue COP.” And with Spain as a partner, that commitment just got stronger.

Of the five ocean-climate workshops held under the auspices of Because the Ocean from 2016-2019, two were hosted by Chile (2018) and one by Spain (2019) – at its launch in Paris in 2015. COP25 President Carolina Schmidt, Environment Minister of Chile, and Teresa Ribera, Spain’s Minister for the Ecological Transition, will be powerful advocates and allies for action to increase ocean resiliency

In her preamble to the Ocean for Climate report published a month ago by the Because the Ocean initiative, Carolina Schmidt wrote: “As a leading member of the Because the Ocean initiative, together with the Principality of Monaco and other countries, during and beyond COP25 — the “Blue COP” — Chile will continue to prioritize action to mitigate both climate change and ocean change.”

The Because the Ocean Secretariat is based in Madrid, and looks forward to continue working with Chile and Spain, and supporting Parties and stakeholders towards a successful Blue COP.

The Blue COP: To Be Continued… In Madrid?

On October 30th, the Chilean President Sebastian Piñera announced that COP25 would not go forward in Santiago on 2 December as planned, due to continuing and sustained civil unrest in the country. Alternative dates and sites for the conference are urgently being investigated by the Secretariat of the UNFCCC.

The Chilean government emphasized that it will continue to hold the COP Presidency until COP 26 when the UK is expected to take over. This means that COP 25, designated “the Blue COP”, will continue to prioritize the climate/ocean nexus when delegates eventually convene. On 31 October, the Spanish Government. has offered to host COP25 in Madrid, at the same dates it was originally planned, 2-13 December, 2019.

Under the Paris Agreement, Governments are meant to update in early 2020 their plans (known as Nationally Determined Contributions) for reducing CO2 emissions.

A change of venue, or even a postponement of the COP would be no reason to delay those efforts. Given the rapid changes in the ocean environment as a result of global warming and unabated CO2 emissions, those plans should include measures to increase ocean resilience. COP25 President Carolina Schmidt, Environment Minister of Chile, and Teresa Ribera, Spain’s Minister for the Ecological Transition who would co-host the COP if Madrid’s offer is confirmed next week are both committed advocates of ocean action. Together, they took part in the Before the Blue COP workshop organized by the Because the Ocean initiative in Madrid in April 2019.

A recent report published by the “Because the Ocean” initiative offers guidance to governments to that end. See: Ocean For Climate: Ocean-Related Measures in Climate Strategies (Nationally Determined Contributions, National Adaptation Plans, Adaptation Communications, and National Policy Frameworks)

Before the Blue COP #OceanForClimate in Paris, Oslo

The report Ocean for Climate: Ocean-Related Measures in Climate Strategies was presented in Paris on 16 October at a conference hosted by the Embassy of Chile: Ocean & Climate Nexus: Road to COP25.

Another presentation took place on 23rd October at the Our Ocean conference in Oslo, Norway, at a side event organized by the Embassy of Chile in Norway.

The Chilean Government will host and chair COP25, the 25th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), in Santiago, Chile 2nd-13th December, 2019.

Co-organized by the Embassy of Chile in France, the Ocean & Climate Platform, the Tara Ocean Foundation, the University of Chile/CMM, with support from the Because the Ocean initiative, the French Facility for the Global Environment (FFEM), and the French Ministry for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, the Paris conference was opened by H.E. Juan Salazar, Ambassador of Chile in France and H.E. Brigitte Collet, French Ambassador for Climate Change. It was made up of two sessions: Ocean Sciences and Climate Change, Gaps and Challenges (with scientific experts from France and Chile), and Road to COP25, Building the Blue COP Heritage (with the Chair of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) Paul Watkinson, Sweden’s Ambassador for the Ocean H.E. Helen Agren, OECD’s Deputy Director for Environment Anthony Cox, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation’s Senior Advisor Raphaël Cuvelier, and Janique Etienne of FFEM. The debates were facilitated by Rémi Parmentier, Coordinator of the Because the Ocean initiative Secretariat, Loreley Picourt, Head of the Ocean & Climate Platform, and André Abreu of the Tara Ocean Foundation.

In his opening remarks Ambassador Juan Salazar outlined the importance of ocean governance and ocean conservation for Chile, a country with a coastal line of over 4000 km. and one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones in the world, of which 42% enjoy some degree of protection.

“Chile’s incoming COP25 presidency conceived this COP to bear the colors of the ocean, hence the name Blue COP”, Ambassador Salazar said. “Chile has encouraged Parties to discuss together how to integrate ocean issues into the UNFCCC process, and to develop further technical work based on scientific evidence”.

“Chile wants the ocean community to be united and work collectively with the aim to find solutions for the ocean. This effort has been named Platform of Ocean Solutions, with the idea to launch [it] in Santiago [at COP25]. The Platform seeks to be a point of connection between solution developers and policy-makers and to cover all the initiatives, tools, and methodologies that can be used by governments to develop climate policies for the ocean. We aim with this tool to enhance the ambition from Parties and to promote the protection of the ocean from the effects of climate change. […] This will be presented as the next step of the Because the Ocean Declarations and all other ocean initiatives”.

At the side event in Oslo on 23rd October, Chile’s Ambassador to Norway Waldemar Coutts outlined the role of the Because the Ocean initiative helping, since COP21, governments and the environmental commununity at large to abandon the “silos mentality” whereby practitioners working on climate and ocean respectively have tended to work in isolation from each other, at least until recently. Ambassador Coutts emphasized that it is to continue to “break the silos” that the COP25 Presidency has conceived COP25 as a Blue COP.