Abstract
Abstract After over a decade of international efforts to include the ocean in the policy discussions at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) annual Conference of the Parties (COP), the ocean has finally been included by, inter alia, a reference to ‘ocean-based action’ in a series of COP outcomes, notable among which is the cover decisions known as the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’. This article provides the necessary background to the inclusion of the ocean in COP26 outcomes, including the Pact, and examines key issues, impacts and shortfalls of the Pact and other COP26 outcomes, including mitigation, adaptation, finance and human rights. It concludes with suggestions for priority research areas moving forward.
Highlights
This momentum continued up to and during the negotiations in Glasgow in November
After over a decade of international efforts to include the ocean in the policy discussions at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) annual Conference of the Parties (COP), the ocean has been included by, inter alia, a reference to ‘ocean-based action’ in a series of COP outcomes, notable among which is the cover decisions known as the ‘Glasgow Climate Pact’
This article provides the necessary background to the inclusion of the ocean in COP26 outcomes, including the Pact, and examines key issues, impacts and shortfalls of the Pact and other COP26 outcomes, including mitigation, adaptation, finance and human rights
Summary
After the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP) 25 in Madrid 2019 was labelled by the Presidency as the ‘Blue COP’, there was optimism for COP26 held in Glasgow, Scotland from 31 October to 13 November 2021 to embed the ocean into climate-related action at all levels of the UNFCCC framework.[1]. Fiji during its COP Presidency in 2017,6 have been undertaken alongside the negotiations These initiatives are in addition to the sobering message from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change of both the impacts of climate change on the marine environment (warming, acidification and deoxygenation) and the overall health of the ocean, and the importance of the ocean in climate mitigation and adaptation.[7] In spite of this, and the recognition of the COP25 Presidency ‘to highlight the importance of the ocean, including as an integral part of the Earth’s climate system, and of ensuring the integrity of the ocean and coastal ecosystems in the context of climate change’,8 there had been no success in persuading UNFCCC parties to include or recognise the essential role of the ocean in climate change mitigation and adaptation in a COP decision up until COP26. The International Journal of Marine and CoastDaolwnLloaawded3fr7om(2B0rill2.c2o)m012–/1155/2022 09:55:39AM called for a strong political signal from COP26 on the ocean, emphasising the impacts of climate change for ocean (sic), the need to raise climate ambition as a result, the importance of ocean action to address climate change, and the need to better integrate ocean-climate issues within the UNFCCC. This article offers an analysis of the Pact and its significance for the ocean
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