In October 2024, the Monaco Scientific Center (CSM) and the Marine Environment Laboratories of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) jointly organized the Sixth International Workshop on Bridging the Gap Between Ocean Acidification Impacts and Economic Valuation: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Address Multiple Ocean Stressors.
This interdisciplinary workshop addressed various environmental stressors to coastal marine ecosystems and their often-compounding impacts to ecosystem services. The overarching goal was to explore the complex interactions between local stressors (pollution, non-indigenous species, plastics, eutrophication) and global stressors (ocean warming, ocean acidification). These stressors do not operate in isolation; instead, they often occur in parallel, which may intensify their impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and human health. These combined challenges hinder progress towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including, Life Below Water (SDG 14), Climate Action (SDG 13), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12), Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), No Hunger (SDG 2) and No Poverty (SDG 1). Examining the connections between these multiple stressors provides insights into the economic and societal costs of inaction and potential solutions to address them. This workshop convened an interdisciplinary group of 26 experts from 12 countries, equally distributed between the Global South and North, and included balanced gender representation. Participants formed four working groups to discuss key local stressors (i.e., pollution, plastics, eutrophication, and non-indigenous species) in the context of co-occurring global stressors driven by greenhouse gases emissions (GHGs). The groups identified solutions grounded on research evidence and formulated policy recommendations that reflect the need for an integrated approach to achieve ocean sustainability.
Hilmi N., Couvreur C., Allemand D., Backhaus T., Descroix-Comanducci F., Dupont S., Fleming L. E., Friedrich J., Grover R., Hall-Spencer J. M., Hansson L., Haraldsson G. & Safa A., 2024. Workshop summary for policymakers, sixth international workshop bridging the gap between ocean acidification impacts and economic valuation: an interdisciplinary approach to address multiple ocean stressors, Monaco. Report.
