We’re seeing the impacts of climate change in real time. There is an urgent need to reduce greenhouse gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere to avoid more catastrophic climate change impacts. This will require both reductions in GHG emissions and the removal of GHGs from the atmosphere. In recent years, this need has driven interest in seaweed as a natural climate solution, as seaweed can absorb carbon and grow quickly.
By Jacqui Vogel (EDF) and Dr. Sarah Glaser (WWF)
Oceans are under immense threat from climate change. Around the world, oceanographic changes like melting sea ice, warming waters, sea level rise and shifting fish populations make access to marine resources more uncertain and less secure.
Climate change threatens to disrupt the communities, supply chains and food systems that rely on marine systems that are now rapidly changing. An impact of climate change is conflict in the ocean, including conflict over shifting and shrinking natural resources. Fisheries conflicts have increased 20-fold over the last 40 years, and 23% of all fish stocks are expected to shift in distribution by 2030. But scientists are working on a solution.
Graphic courtesy of Climate Champions.
The world is gathered in Dubai for the 28th Conference of the Parties under the United Nations Framework for Climate Change Convention, otherwise known as COP28. Over a two-week span, government delegations come together to negotiate what actions the world needs to take to achieve a future under 1.5 degrees. This will set the tone for government action and help guide policies to achieve the ambitions of the Paris Agreement. Read More
By Karly Kelso (EDF), Dr. Michelle Tigchelaar (Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions), and Dr. Malin Jonell (Stockholm Resilience Center)
This piece was originally published in Swedish here.
The last few years have wrought havoc on the food supply, particularly for the people trapped in the cycle of poverty. COVID, climate change and conflict have disrupted supply chains, curtailed harvests and increased hunger. In 2022, 735 million people went hungry.
We need to step up the pace and the financing for blue foods to protect the future of our food supply and our planet.
This piece is now available on Mongabay.
During New York Climate Week, climate leaders will gather together to make essential decisions to mitigate the effects of climate change. It is critical that our oceans are a priority.
The ocean is profoundly underfunded, and yet it is absolutely vital to billions of lives around the world and climate resilience. Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, “Life Below Water,” is the least funded of the SDGs — despite the fact that it can support all of the other Sustainable Development Goals. Without serious investment in our oceans, we risk missing the mark overall.
Read about the critical need to achieve this goal to ensure the health of our oceans on Mongabay now.
Marine protected areas (MPA) are a conservation tool that sets aside part of the ocean to protect it for long-term conservation, similar to the way a state or national park functions on land. These MPAs are an effective way to preserve biodiversity by protecting ecosystems. But how are they utilized by people, and do they support human engagement? And, while conservation alone is important, will MPAs build climate resilience?
