• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content

Because the Ocean

Because the Ocean, climate change & ocean initiative, active since COP21: If we want to protect the climate we must protect the ocean & vice-versa.

  • The Initiative
  • Partners
  • Events
  • Resources
  • News
  • Contact

Workshop


Reports of the Before the Blue COP Workshops Available

The reports of the Madrid and Fiji Before the Blue COP workshops are now on-line.
Download the Madrid workshop report
Download the Fiji workshop report

The Madrid Before the Blue COP workshop was made possible thanks to support received from the Prince Albert of Monaco Foundation (FPA2), the Ministry for the Ecological Transition of the Government of Spain, its Fundación Biodiversidad and the Intemares Life programme, and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).

The Fiji Before the Blue COP workshop was made possible thanks to support also received from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2) and the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), as well as the Ministry of Economy of Fiji, the Pacific Community (SPC), the NDC Partnership, the Pacific NDC Hub, the Ocean & Climate Platform, and the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC).

All the presentations made at the Madrid and Fiji workshops are available in the Resources section of this website.

Consultations on the incorporation of the ocean in UNFCCC COP25 (the Blue COP, in Santiago, Chile, 2-13 December 2019) continue in Bonn, Germany between 16 and 27 June where the Bonn Climate Change Conference is taking place.

If you are in Bonn and wish to contact a representative of the Because the Ocean initiative, please send an email to: info[at]becausetheocean.org


The Fiji Workshop Take-Aways: Towards Ocean-Related NDCs

The Pacific edition of the regional workshop series organized by the Because the Ocean initiative on the integration of the ocean into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, followed by the Climate & Ocean Negotiators Symposium organized by the Government of Fiji, ended in Suva, Fiji after four days of intense work and deliberations.

The workshop welcomed representatives of the governments of Australia, Chile, Cook Islands, the European Union, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Samoa, Sweden,Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. as well as experts from several organizations, including the Pacific Community (SPC), GIZ and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the UNFCCC Secretariat, the UN FAO, the Ocean & Climate Platform (POC), the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Conservation International, the Ocean Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy, IUCN, the Varda Group, and the University of the South Pacific, among others.

The event was made possible thanks to support received from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2), the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI), the Ministry of Economy of Fiji, SPC, the NDC Partnership, the Pacific NDC Hub, the Ocean & Climate Platform, and the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC).

The ocean represents the largest part of the geography of Small Islands Developing States, also known as Great Ocean States, thus incorporating the ocean in their Nationally Determined Contributions is extremely important, For example, in its recently released revised NDC, the Kingdom of Tonga who also joined the Symposium participants on 8 and 9 May in Suva included its target of doubling by 2030 its 2015 number of marine protected areas.

Key takeaways from the workshops include:

  1. There is strong appetite and on-going plans to incorporate the ocean within revised NDCs throughout the region.
  2. Commitment, ambition and implementation of Parties in their NDCs requires support, both at the financial and technical levels.
  3. It is expected that the launch of the SROCC in September will help filling the knowledge gaps and raise awareness of the opportunities and challenges concerning the incorporation of the Ocean into the work of the UNFCCC.
  4. PSIDS welcome the development of supplementary technical guidelines/advice to UNFCCC processes, in particular on the potential for linking the ocean with: NDCs, NAPS, National Communications and GHG Inventories.
  5. This support is important to build and reinforce the capacity of PSIDS and must be developed in a way that promotes the ownership and sustainability of climate and ocean action to the countries for the benefit of local communities and their livelihoods.
  6. Detailed discussions took place among the countries on key ocean issues of relevance to the Pacific and pragmatic options were presented for each of the following areas, in addition to initial steps identified to progress the design and implementation of actions:
    • opportunities and risks arising from the role of the ocean in carbon sequestration and storage, and the significance of blue carbon ecosystems for adaptation and mitigation;
    • clean and sustainable blue energy, especially for large ocean States
    • decarbonized maritime transportation of people and goods; and
    • sustainable fisheries management, conservation and adaptation to climate change.
  1. It was recognized that whilst mitigation is the primary objective of NDCs, adaptation measures to climate impacts on the ocean and coasts are an essential component that deserves incorporating into NDCs and other UNFCCC elements.
  2. Strategic coherence must be reciprocal: incorporation of the ocean in the work of the UNFCCC must be accompanied by stronger integration of climate change scenarios and concerns in international governance and management discussions.
  3. Workshop participants commended the COP25 Presidency for convening a Blue COP in Santiago and look forward to supporting Chile’s efforts throughout its presidency.

The aim of the “Ocean NDCs workshop series” is to prepare recommendations on the integration of the ocean within NDCs and other UNFCCC vehicles. These recommendations should be released around the time of the release of the Special Report on the Ocean and the Cryosphere in a Changing Climate by the Intergovernmental Panel of experts on Climate Change (IPCC), in September 2019.

Presentations made by experts at the Suva workshop are available in the Resources section of the Because the Ocean initiative website. The finalized workshop report will also be posted in that section when ready.


Fiji Workshop Approaching – First Documents Available

A Because the Ocean Secretariat team is travelling this week-end to Suva, Fiji to make the  final arrangements for the third regional workshop “Incorporating the Ocean in Nationally Determined Contributions”, to be held at the Holiday Inn hotel in Suva 6-7 May 2019.

Some 12 countries have registered to be represented and participate, mostly representatives from Pacific Small Islands Developing States (or Great Ocean States, in contemporary terminology).

The workshop is organized by the Because the Ocean Initiative, in co-operation with the Ministry of Economy of Fiji, the Pacific Community (headquartered in Noumea, New Caledonia), the Ocean Pathway Partnership, and with support from the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2), the International Coral Reefs Initiative (ICRI), the NDC Partnership,  the Natural Resources Defence Council (NRDC), the Climate & Ocean Platform, and the Tara Foundation.

 

Fiji photo river
© Peter Thomson

 

Little more than a week before the event, a Provisional Agenda and a Discussion Paper have been released. [It is expected that a few amendments to the agenda will be introduced in the course of next week, and posted on this website]

Click here to receive the agenda and programme

Click here to receive the Discussion Paper.

Representatives from the following governments have registered to take part in the two-days session: Chile (COP25 Presidency), Cook Islands, the European Commission, Fiji, Indonesia, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Sweden, Vanuatu and Tuvalu. As well as experts from Climate Advisers, GIZ, GGIC, the Institute for Sustainable Futures (Australia), IUCN, the NDC Partnership, the Pacific Bond Project, the Pacific Community, Ocean Conservancy, UN FAO, the UNFCCC, and the University of the South Pacific.

The workshop will begin with a High-Level Opening Session with Fiji’s Attorney General Aivaz Sayed-Khaiyum, Minister for Justice, Economy, Civil Service, Communications and Public enterprises.

The Fiji regional workshop follows two other regional workshops on incorporating the ocean in Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement, held respectively in Santiago, Chile (October 2018) and Madrid, Spain (April 2019).

Click here to download the report from the Latin American workshop held in Chile.

Click here to download the report from the European workshop held in Madrid.

If you would like to apply to attend the Opening Session and/or the workshop, please send an email to info[at]becausetheocean.org

[Outstanding image: © Stuart Chape]


The Madrid Workshop Take-Aways

“The increased consideration of ocean issues can serve as an accelerator for raising climate change mitigation and adaptation ambition.” Valvanera Ulargui, Director General, Office of Climate Change, Spain.

Gathering fifty experts from European governments, intergovernmental and academic organizations and observers from NGOs, the Before the Ocean workshop took place in Madrid 10 and 11 April 2019.

A special edition of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin by the International Institute on Sustainable Development is now available online [Pdf: Before the Blue COP Bulletin]

Main take-aways from the two days of intense work include:

  • There are significant interlinkages between the ocean and climate, and silos between the two policy communities are starting to break down;
  • Knowledge on ocean and climate interlinkages is improving, but more research is needed to substantiate emerging findings;
  • The publication of the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and the Cryosphere in a Changing Climate in September 2019 is a great opportunity to increase general awareness on the ocean climate nexus ahead of COP 25 and in anticipation of the UN Decade on Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030);
  • It is key to ensure environmental integrity and accountability in the context of ocean and climate action;
  • Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement offer opportunities to address ocean and climate interlinkages, but other vehicles such as National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) should also be considered as they can be more conducive to certain types of ocean-enhanced climate action;
  • Concentrating on advocating for the inclusion of a dedicated UNFCCC agenda item on the ocean might risk delaying meaningful action;
  • There is ‘great appetite’ for political initiatives to increase the momentum on the ocean-climate-biodiversity nexus, provided that they have an added-value compared to existing declarations; and
  • Cooperation between the marine and climate communities should be fostered at international, regional, and national levels.

Special thanks go to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition of the Government of Spain, its Fundación Biodiversidad and the Intemares Life programme for their support throughout the preparations and running of the workshop.

 


Before the Blue COP: Madrid Workshop opens

– Madrid, 10 April 2019 –

The “Before the Blue” workshop was opened today by Teresa Ribera, Minister for the Ecological Transition of the
Government of Spain.
Fifty delegates, including government representatives from some 12 European countries plus the European Commission, and several relevant intergovernmental organizations, academia and civil society are exploring for two days how ocean elements can be including within countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, and what methodologies need to be applied to make the next Climate COP a milestone to address the relationship between climate change and ocean change.
In a video address, Chile’s Environment Minister and President of COP25 in Santiago, Chile (December 2019) greeted the delegates, emphasized the importance of incorporating climate action and ocean action, outlined the need to explore how to place ocean elements within Nationally Determined Contributions, and invited the participants to “the Blue COP”.
A team of the International Isntitute on sustainable Development (IISD) is covering the workshop, an will issue a special report of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin.

 

Click here to read the IISD special page

 

Ministerio de Transición Ecológica España Blue COP Santiago de Chile
Teresa Ribera, Minister for the Ecological Transition, Spain

  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Next Page »



Home | The Initiative | Partners | Workshops | Resources | News | Contact

Designed by Castillejo Studio & Coordinated by The Varda Group

Copyright © 2022 · All rights reserved