From Bonn to Our Oceans Conference: The Ocean is Moving to the Center of Climate Action  

The ocean is the foundation for life on Earth. It supports global trade, food and nutrition systems, energy security, and economic stability, while also serving as the planet’s largest active carbon sink, absorbing roughly 25% of global carbon emissions and more than 90% of excess heat from climate change.  

Today, it sits at the nexus of interconnected challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, food insecurity, and economic resilience. As countries move into the next phase of the Paris Agreement – implementation – this shift is unfolding against a backdrop of growing geopolitical and economic strain. Shipping disruptions, shifting fish stocks, supply chain volatility, rising food insecurity, and fertilizer shortages have exposed how vulnerable our global systems remain to climate shocks and political conflict.  

While the ocean’s role as a carbon sink is well recognized, its role in adaptation is just as critical. Recent disruptions to fertilizer supply chains in the Strait of Hormuz have underscored how dependent global food production remains on trade that is vulnerable to geopolitical shocks. This rings particularly true for coastal communities and developing economies already on the front lines of climate impacts. Blue foods – fisheries and aquaculture – are a clear example, offering locally-led, climate-resilient alternatives that do not rely on fertilizers, offering a pathway to strengthen food security, livelihoods, and economic stability in times of global disruption. 

The ocean is no longer a niche issue at the margins of multilateral negotiations. It is now central to whether countries can meet climate goals while protecting biodiversity and supporting livelihoods. 

A growing awareness of the ocean as a climate ally defined this year’s Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue at the 64^th Sessions of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies (SB64) in Bonn. Discussions centered on implementation – specifically on the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), means of implementation (including finance and capacity), and strengthening synergies across sectors and international processes. 

Three themes emerged clearly from the Dialogue at  

1. Integrating ocean action into NDCs 

Countries are increasingly recognizing the importance of ocean-based solutions in national climate planning. Efforts such as integrating blue foods into NDCs demonstrate how ocean action can support adaptation, mitigation, and resilience simultaneously – but greater support is needed to move from recognition to delivery. 

Fisheries and aquaculture can strengthen resilience, support nutrition and livelihoods, and reduce dependence on vulnerable global supply chains – but many countries still face barriers to fully integrating these solutions into climate plans, including gaps in policy coordination, technical capacity, and financing. 

2. Closing the implementation gap 

While more than 300 ocean solutions have been identified in the dialogue process, scaling and replicating them requires sustained financing, technical capacity, and stronger enabling environments – particularly in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) where capacity and access are limited. 

Financing is central to bridging this gap. Ocean-based solutions currently receive less than 1% of global climate and development finance, despite their cross-cutting benefits. Compounded with high borrowing costs and declining Official Development Assistance (ODA) – the challenge of scaling these solutions becomes even more acute. Strengthening the link between NDC priorities, investment-ready projects, and accessible finance will be critical to moving from ambition to delivery. 

Within the UNFCCC process, attention to ocean and water is increasing, including through upcoming discussions under the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF), which has an opportunity to further shape how ocean priorities move from policy into funding pipelines. 

3. Driving Rio Convention synergies 

There is growing momentum to align climate, biodiversity, and ocean governance across the UNFCCC, CBD, and BBNJ processes. The challenge now is demonstrating how these synergies can be implemented in practice. The mesopelagic (or “twilight”) zone offers a clear example of this integrated, “One Ocean” approach in action – and how Rio Convention synergies can be translated into practice. Stretching roughly 200 to 1,000 meters below the surface, the mesopelagic zone plays a critical role in marine food webs and in regulating the Earth’s climate through the biological carbon pump.  

EDF is working with partners to advance precautionary, science-based governance approaches that prioritize ecosystem integrity while improving scientific understanding. This work reflects a broader climate-biodiversity approach and offers a practical example of Rio Convention synergies in action – connecting climate mitigation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable fisheries management. 

From Bonn to Mombasa: turning dialogue into delivery 

The Our Ocean Conference (OOC) in Mombasa, Kenya, marks the next step in shifting these priorities from dialogue toward implementation. 

Across developing economies – particularly in Africa – this transition is already underway. EDF is working with partners through the Aquatic Blue Food Coalition and convening OOC-linked workshops with African stakeholders to translate ambition into actionable commitments, grounded in local priorities and supported by policy and finance. 

Further, EDF is also advancing the Rio synergies approach on mesopelagic conservation. At OOC, this effort will move forward through the launch of the Mesopelagic Zone Conservation Challenge, led by champion countries in partnership with the Ocean Conservancy, the Marine Conservation Institute, and EDF. The Challenge aims to catalyze action to protect biodiversity and the ocean’s biological carbon pump, calling for a precautionary approach, stronger science, and the development of robust, transparent management frameworks. 

OOC provides an opportunity to take forward the priorities identified in Bonn – on NDC integration, financing, and Rio synergies – and translate them into concrete pledges, partnerships, and delivery mechanisms.  

For more information on what EDF is doing at OOC, see here.  

Looking ahead: from ambition to action 

The trajectory from Bonn is now set in motion: ambition is translating into implementation. 

The dialogue has built shared understanding and momentum, but there is a clear and growing appetite to go further. The next phase must focus on delivery – anchoring ocean priorities in concrete outcomes, supported by financing, and driven by country leadership. 

Upcoming convenings, including the UNFCCCC Pre-COP, COP31, and future COPs across the Rio conventions, will play a critical role in carrying this momentum forward – ensuring that ocean priorities remain integrated across processes while translating commitments into measurable outcomes. 

The ocean has always connected ecosystems, economies, and communities across borders. The task now is to ensure that global processes can do the same – a shared collective goal to elevate ambition through coordinated, practical, and locally grounded action at scale.