Protecting oceans from climate change impacts

Authors: JULIANA CASTAÑO-ISAZA & SYLVIA MICHELE DIEZ

On Ocean Action Day at COP26, government leaders called for the protection and restoration of ocean health. Since the first Ocean Day at COP15 in 2009, global awareness of the importance of oceans has risen, and especially of the need to adopt a Blue Economy approach—defined as the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs while preserving the health of marine and coastal ecosystems.

Oceans play an integral role in climate change mitigation, absorbing some 23% of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions and more than 90% of the excess heat created by human-caused greenhouse gases. Despite the potential of oceans to mitigate climate change, only 8 of 192 countries with nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement have included quantifiable measurements for marine carbon sequestration ; and the NDCs of only two countries (Bahamas and Fiji) refer to ocean-based renewable energy.

"Oceans play an integral role in climate change mitigation, absorbing some 23% of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions and more than 90% of the excess heat created by human-caused greenhouse gases."

Please read the full blog at: https://blogs.worldbank.org/climatechange/protecting-oceans-climate-change-impacts