Our Ocean Conference Must Deliver Solutions to Meet Deepening Ocean Crises

The following is a statement from Eric Schwaab, senior vice president for People and Nature at Environmental Defense Fund, on the upcoming Our Ocean Conference hosted by Palau:

“A sense of urgency, opportunity and optimism must prevail at the upcoming Our Ocean Conference in Palau as governments, civil society and businesses convene during a critically important year. Together, we must deliver real solutions to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing our oceans, coastal communities and the very health of our planet.

"This year marks the UN-designated International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture as well as the second full year of the Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. It’s also a year in which we are continuing to witness accelerating impacts of climate change. This in turn is driving changes in food security for more than a billion people worldwide, nutrition security for some 3 billion people who rely on fish as a primary source of protein, income security for millions and an untold number of coastal communities who are witnessing sea level rise and other impacts.

"We must do everything we can to address climate pollution and limit planetary warming. At the same time, we must also act now on critical solutions that will help billions of people adapt to a climate-impacted future, including making our fisheries more resilient in the face of climate change. We have an urgent need to address all the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, and particularly SDG 14: Life Below Water. Through our oceans and the people in coastal communities closest to the problem, we can ensure that healthy oceans are part of the climate solution and continue to support and nourish people around the world.

"This year is rich with opportunities for the international community to rally behind our common causes, including this week’s conference and events like Stockholm +50, Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue, the UN Ocean Conference, UNFCCC COP27 and the UN Biodiversity Conference. As we move into this critical year, EDF will focus on five critical areas for action:

Blue Foods

"Blue foods can help end malnutrition, build nature-positive and resilient food systems and progress nine of the Sustainable Development Goals. Blue foods can make key contributions to diet-related health challenges and offer a less carbon-intensive source of animal protein. As a low-carbon source of animal protein, blue foods can also be a critical part of the global climate solution. For coastal communities most vulnerable to climate change, blue foods provide a vital source of protein and micronutrients that are not easily replaced by other sources. Sustainable blue food systems will not only increase the supply of nutritious food but also contribute to community resilience, good jobs, gender equity and poverty alleviation and incentivize action in support of healthy, sustainable ocean ecosystems.

"To achieve these benefits, governments, civil society and industry must elevate the profile of aquatic foods as a key component of sustainable and climate-resilient global food systems. That means enacting policies, setting up financing mechanisms and engaging in dialogue to ensure that blue foods are at the forefront of efforts to build nutritional security, economic vitality and environmental integrity.

IYAFA & Small-Scale Fisheries

"Small-scale fishers account for close to half of global fisheries catch and play a fundamental role in the welfare, health and culture of communities worldwide, affecting billions of people. During this International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture, it’s time to act to provide meaningful funding in support of them — to recognize the vital roles that they play, amplify their voices and protect their futures.

"That means implementing policies to ensure sustainability and resilience amidst a changing climate and to better secure the rights and access to fishing grounds of small-scale fishers and fishworkers across the world. These steps, coupled with the implementation of the UN FAO Small-Scale Fisheries Guidelines, are essential to protecting economies of coastal communities, creating healthy oceans and prioritizing the human rights of billions of people.

Sustainable Ocean Financing

"A recent paper published in Nature Communications finds that public and private investment lags far behind what’s needed to ensure a thriving, resilient and sustainable ocean economy — but that solutions do exist.

"A sustainable ocean economy requires more and better financing that generates, invests, aligns and accounts for financial capital to achieve sustained ocean health and governance.

"However, the current finance gap for achieving this vision is large, the enabling environment still needs to be built in many ways, and access to sustainable investment capital remains limited and not equitably distributed. Member states and financial institutions at Our Ocean Conference must band together and dedicate resources and funding to ensure equitable access to capital directed at the most pressing global oceans challenges. It is also critically important to strengthen the alignment of public, private and philanthropic resources for greater impact.

Blue Carbon

"Ocean and coastal ecosystems serve the planet as a massive natural carbon sink, but because of climate change, overfishing and other pressures, we’ve degraded the natural pathways through which they capture and store carbon.

"To meet the climate challenge, we must understand and act on blue carbon pathways in nearshore and open ocean environments. By better understanding and strengthening the capacity of the oceans as a climate solution, we may be able to sequester more carbon, restore thriving ocean ecosystems and better protect vulnerable coastal communities. This will take a concerted effort by scientists, governments and the private sector to better understand and act on meaningful blue carbon pathways. Find out more about EDF’s approach to blue carbon.

Ecosystem Protection and 30x30

"Protecting 30% of the world’s oceans is an ambitious and energizing goal. At the same time, we recognize that the most effective and durable protected areas fit within a “100% solution” in which complementary sustainable management of surrounding waters delivers benefits for both communities and ocean health. Protected area systems are most durable, defensible and effective if they are designed with local community expertise and complementary needs prominent in the process, while also noting that strong and effective protected area networks deliver myriad benefits to local communities.

"We must also explicitly protect the rights and tenure of small-scale fishers, smallholder farmers and Indigenous Peoples and local communities through an inclusive decision-making process. Conservation objectives should be met through a combination of conservation reserves, protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures. These tactics must be coupled with the sustainable management of waters outside of specific protected reserves. Finally, climate-driven shifts must also be factored into the design and management of an effective protected area network.”