The interdisciplinary community of ocean and coastal observers and modelers in Europe is driven by national observing needs for prediction and management of intricate processes shaping Europe’s Seas. Not all observing needs can be addressed by nations alone and various coordination activities exist to overcome fragmentation and create cross benefit within the European Ocean Observing Community (EOOC). This way critical insights into impacts of climate change on European Waters and cross border marine resources management can be achieved. Based on a large number of published material, this article is identifying and addressing the current state of activities of the EOOC and states gaps that potentially prevent efficacy. Key challenges include spatial and temporal coverage in observations, data integration, accessibility, uncertainties in projections, technological hurdles, and engagement and communication gaps. Detailed recommendations are provided for identified gaps, offering valuable insights for stakeholders, funders, and supporters of the EOOC. These recommendations, extending beyond academic interest, carry significant implications for climate change mitigation, marine resource management efficiency, ecosystem resilience, disaster preparedness, economic benefits, and the broader scientific advancements in European marine science, thereby benefiting society at large. As the world undergoes transformative changes impacting all facets of European life, substantial investment and support for the EOOC are crucial for precise information, accurate predictions, supporting sustained services that contribute to business growth and community resilience, and a sustainable ocean.
Continue reading ‘The European Ocean Observing Community: urgent gaps and recommendations to implement during the UN Ocean Decade’Posts Tagged 'policy'
The European Ocean Observing Community: urgent gaps and recommendations to implement during the UN Ocean Decade
Published 5 August 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy, review, socio-economy
Investigating a connectedness between green innovation and ocean health performance in Vietnam
Published 22 July 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy, socio-economy
Highlights
- We use a model-free connectedness method.
- We focus on connectedness between green innovation and ocean health in Vietnam.
- We differentiate between contemporaneous and lagged linkages.
- We show the heightened influence of lagged linkage.
- Ocean health was recognized as a net receiver in contemporaneous dynamics.
Abstract
The blue economy (BE) development has recently grown in importance, but scholars have kept silent on their determinants, especially in developing countries. This article focuses on the role of green innovation (EI). Utilizing the R2 decomposed linkage method, our investigation aims to delineate connections, particularly differentiating between contemporaneous and lagged linkages. This innovative approach is employed to examine the return transmission mechanism among the Ocean Health Index (OHI), green innovation (EI), nonrenewable energy (NONRENEW), and CO2 emissions (CO2). The dynamic total linkage, subject to temporal variation, is contingent on economic events. Our findings emphasize the heightened influence of lagged linkage prevailing over contemporaneous linkage for all four variables. As observed before 2019, ocean health was acknowledged for its prominent role as a net receiver. Subsequently, ocean health was recognized as a net receiver in contemporaneous dynamics, while its significant impact as a net transmitter in lagged linkage persisted. The results have important policy implications for governments in promoting the use of green innovation to enhance blue health performance in Vietnam.
Continue reading ‘Investigating a connectedness between green innovation and ocean health performance in Vietnam’The contribution of the South Asian Seas (SAS) program to SDG 14: a preliminary assessment of the targets (1–3)
Published 15 July 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy
In order to promote and support the conservation, management, and improvement of the environment in the area, the South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP) was founded by South Asian Sea member states (Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) and administered by SACEP. The rationale and structure for the SDG 14 country-level target indicators were revisited by South Asian Sea contracting parties to assess the importance of the South Asian Seas Conventions as well as Action Plans. The goal of the analysis was to evaluate the degree of severity of marine and coastal environmental conditions using data from existing scientific investigations and to formulate an effective way for its further sustainability. The multiple shortcomings were observed as an outcome of this investigation. These shortfalls need to be addressed amicably for the benefit of the region. To accelerate SDG 14 progress, this paper suggests the appropriate implementation pathway for the South Asia region.
Continue reading ‘The contribution of the South Asian Seas (SAS) program to SDG 14: a preliminary assessment of the targets (1–3)’Navigating the souring seas: the global experimentalist governance of ocean acidification?
Published 25 June 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy
Ocean acidification (OA) represents an urgent and complex challenge that will endanger oceanic ecosystems and human beings alike. This thesis investigates the multifaceted governance of OA. More specifically, it explores how OA is and should be governed in light of the nature of the problem. Thus, the research delineates the scientific underpinnings of OA, including its causes, stressors, and potential adaptation options, to establish a foundation for informed governance. Through a mapping of the international and transnational governance landscape, it can be seen that the current governance landscape yields a regime complex that encompasses a diversity of actors and instruments across various issue areas related to OA. Global experimentalist governance is explored as a governance approach that can build on the characteristics of OA as a scientific problem as well as the fragmented governance landscape. This thesis will show that global experimentalist governance is, therefore, a perfect match for the problem of OA. Employing a case study approach, the thesis then assesses the applicability of global experimentalist governance within the Ocean Acidification Alliance (OAA) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO). It identifies shortcomings in the operationalization of global experimentalist governance, particularly in setting precise metrics and implementing, reporting, peer review, and feedback mechanisms. These challenges reflect the complexities of OA and the reticence toward fully embracing an experimentalist governance structure. Despite these obstacles, the findings suggest that global experimentalist governance’s adaptable nature aligns well with the regime complexity of OA, advocating for an adaptive, flexible, and multilevel governance model that accommodates the scientific uncertainties of OA.
Continue reading ‘Navigating the souring seas: the global experimentalist governance of ocean acidification?’Integrated actions across multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs) can help address coastal ocean acidification
Published 17 June 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy, review
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations in 2015 constitute a set of 17 global goals established as a blueprint for achieving a more sustainable and equitable world for humanity. As part of the SDGs, target 14.3 is focuses on minimizing and addressing the impacts of Ocean Acidification (OA). We argue that moving forward in meeting the targets related to pH levels in the coastal ocean can be facilitated through accounting for various drivers of pH change, which are associated with advancing a suite of SDG goals. Addressing ‘coastal acidification’ via a suite of linked SDGs may help avoid inaction through connecting global phenomena with local impacts and drivers. This in turn can provide opportunities for designing novel place-based actions or partnerships that can aid and provide synergies for the joint implementation of programs and policies that tackle a suite of SDGs and the specific targets related to coastal ocean pH.
Continue reading ‘Integrated actions across multiple sustainable development goals (SDGs) can help address coastal ocean acidification’National strategy for a sustainable ocean economy
Published 10 June 2024 Newsletters and reports , Science ClosedTags: policy
Objective 2: Reduce threats from impacts of climate change, ocean acidification, overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution Climate change, ocean acidification, and pollution such as marine debris and toxic pollution have far-reaching and interconnected impacts on ocean ecosystems. Rising sea levels and warming waters, compounded by the effects of nutrient run-off, plastic pollution, and other stressors, threaten marine habitats and the economies they support. Investments in research, monitoring, observation, and international cooperation will facilitate science-based decision-making to address the individual and synergistic effects of threats such as hypoxia, marine debris, harmful algal blooms (HABs), and underwater noise pollution. Key Opportunities for Action:
- Track and model shifting habitat and species compositions to plan for future
conditions and inform sustainable management of vulnerable ecosystems and fisheries. Resources such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate, Ecosystems, and Fisheries Initiative70 can provide decision makers with climate informed advice and improve predictive capacity relative to regional climate trends. - Advance understanding of ocean acidification through research and monitoring, as outlined in the U.S. Ocean Acidification Action Plan71 developed by the United States as a member of the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification.72
- Detect, monitor, assess, and mitigate the development of HABs and their toxins through a combination of field observations, models, and satellite technology to provide early warnings and forecasts to guide management decisions, such as the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Cyanobacteria Assessment Network Application73 and NOAA’s HAB Forecasting and Monitoring System.74
- Leverage existing collaborations across Federal government, Tribal Nations, States, Territories, and relevant sectors to address water quality issues in vulnerable and economically important coastal areas, improve monitoring and prediction of nearshore water quality, and reduce and mitigate economic risks and ecosystem impacts of pollutants, hypoxia, and HABs.75
- Prevent, reduce, detect, and remove marine debris and plastic pollution through targeted research funding and other strategies, including through interagency coordination as part of the Interagency Policy Committee on Plastic Pollution and a Circular Economy,76 to promote innovation and improve domestic infrastructure for waste management and mitigation.
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US Ocean Policy Committee, 2024. National strategy for a sustainable ocean economy. Article.
Marine biology under climate change: challenges, adaptations, and future directions
Published 20 May 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy, socio-economy
In facing the challenges of global climate change, the changes in marine ecosystems have attracted widespread international attention. The ocean is not only a treasure trove of biodiversity but also a key factor in regulating the Earth’s climate. This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the impacts of climate change on the marine environment and its biodiversity, including the long-term effects of rising sea temperatures, acidification, and sea level rise on marine life and ecosystem services. Through an in-depth exploration of the adaptive changes in marine organisms, this study reveals the vulnerability of marine ecosystems to climate change and their adaptation mechanisms, highlighting the importance of marine biology research in understanding and responding to climate change. This research looks forward to future directions and technological developments in marine biology, focusing on the scientific challenges faced and strategies for transitioning to sustainable development, with the aim of promoting the health of marine ecosystems, the conservation of biodiversity, and the development of human society.
Continue reading ‘Marine biology under climate change: challenges, adaptations, and future directions ‘Uncertain, unstable and unequal: can regime interaction help international fisheries law address anthropocene challenges?
Published 10 May 2024 Science ClosedTags: fisheries, policy, socio-economy
The term “Anthropocene” has become ubiquitous within debates on the future of international environmental law. While contested, it can generally be understood to refer to the fundamental idea that the world has entered a new era in which human activities, more than any other factor, are the driving force for change within the Earth system. This concept has inspired a rethinking of traditional international environmental law in line with the challenges that are expected to result from human-induced environmental impacts. This article explores how the Anthropocene will challenge international fisheries law and how understanding the role of regime interaction as a central characteristic of international law will be a necessary part of addressing these challenges. In order to determine what might be said to constitute Anthropocene conditions the article explores the effects of human activities on two core planetary boundaries, climate change and biosphere integrity, in the context of the world’s oceans. Through examining the human-induced threats to these boundaries, common themes of uncertainty, instability and inequality within the Anthropocene ocean are identified, highlighting broadly the ways in which the current international fisheries legal regime alone is inadequate to achieve its goals in the Anthropocene context. This article proposes that enhanced regime interaction, between related regimes such as international fisheries law, international climate change law and international biodiversity law could allow international fisheries law to be more readily able to meet the uncertain, unstable and unequal Anthropocene context.
Continue reading ‘Uncertain, unstable and unequal: can regime interaction help international fisheries law address anthropocene challenges?’Climate change effects on aquaculture production and its sustainable management through climate-resilient adaptation strategies: a review
Published 24 April 2024 Science ClosedTags: fisheries, policy, review, socio-economy
Aquaculture witnessed a remarkable growth as one of the fastest-expanding sector in the food production industry; however, it faces serious threat from the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Understanding this threat, the present review explores the consequences of climate change on aquaculture production and provides need based strategies for its sustainable management, with a particular emphasis on climate-resilient approaches. The study examines the multi-dimensional impacts of climate change on aquaculture which includes the shifts in water temperature, sea-level rise, ocean acidification, harmful algal blooms, extreme weather events, and alterations in ecological dynamics. The review subsequently investigates innovative scientific interventions and climate-resilient aquaculture strategies aimed at strengthening the adaptive capacity of aquaculture practices. Some widely established solutions include selective breeding, species diversification, incorporation of ecosystem-based management practices, and the implementation of sustainable and advanced aquaculture systems (aquaponics and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). These strategies work towards fortifying aquaculture systems against climate-induced disturbances, thereby mitigating risks and ensuring sustained production. This review provides a detailed insight to the ongoing discourse on climate-resilient aquaculture, emphasizing an immediate need for prudent measures to secure the future sustainability of fish food production sector.
Continue reading ‘Climate change effects on aquaculture production and its sustainable management through climate-resilient adaptation strategies: a review’The rise, fall and rebirth of ocean carbon sequestration as a climate ‘solution’
Published 15 March 2024 Science ClosedTags: mitigation, policy, review
Highlights
- Solutions to the climate crisis are not ahistorical.
- Both social and technical processes explain their rise (or fall) on the agenda.
- Thinking about ocean CDR closely co-evolved with scientific understandings of global climate change.
- Ocean CDR methods have followed cycles of hype, controversy and disappointment.
- Key sociotechnical configurations and narrative changes explain the new hype around ocean CDR.
Abstract
While the ocean has long been portrayed as a victim of climate change, threatened by ocean warming and acidification, it is now increasingly framed as a key solution to the climate crisis. In particular, the promising carbon sequestration potential of the ocean is being emphasised. In this paper, we seek to historicise the practices, discourses and actors that have constructed the ocean as a climate change solution space. We conceptualise the debate about the mitigation potential of the ocean as a contested site of governance, where varying actors form alliances and different sociotechnical narratives about climate action play out. Using an innovative quali-quantitative methodology which combines scientometrics with document analysis, observational fieldwork, and interviews, we outline three historical phases in the history of ocean carbon sequestration that follow recurring cycles of hype, controversy and disappointment. We argue that the most recent hype around ocean carbon sequestration was not triggered by a technological breakthrough or a reduction in scientific uncertainty, but by new socio-technical configurations and coalitions. We conclude by showing that how climate change solutions are put on the agenda and become legitimised is both a scientific and political process, linked to how science frames the climate crisis, and ultimately, its governance.
Continue reading ‘The rise, fall and rebirth of ocean carbon sequestration as a climate ‘solution’’Science, international law, and policy across the air–sea interface
Published 7 March 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy, review
The objective of this perspective article is to determine the extent to which processes operating across the air–sea interface are considered in international environmental policy. The ocean is usually important but rarely a defining feature in such policies. We will begin with a brief introduction to the existing relevant treaties and policy frameworks. The provisions within these treaties will be analyzed for instances when air–sea interactions are considered and when they are not. We aim to establish that there is a lack of consideration in international regulation of the interaction between the atmosphere and the ocean, something that is not compatible with the environmental reality. Consequently, we point out examples where we think the air–sea interface could have been incorporated in international legislation. The question of why there is a gap between science and policy, regarding air–sea interactions, is posed and our hypotheses for the answers are outlined. The concept of so-called soft law and related instruments, such as the 2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, are discussed. We finalize this review with our recommendations for future policymaking across the air–sea interface.
Continue reading ‘Science, international law, and policy across the air–sea interface’Policy analysis of coastal-based special economic zone development using system dynamics
Published 28 February 2024 Science ClosedTags: modeling, policy, regionalmodeling, socio-economy, South Pacific
Special Economic Zone (SEZ) development is becoming a preferable policy by the Indonesian government to boost economic growth in less-developed local regions. This is because of the promise that SEZ could attract investment and job creation based on local competitive commodities. One of these areas is Bitung SEZ, North Sulawesi – Indonesia, a coastal-based SEZ, as its strategic position for logistics, fishery resources, and coconut plantation. To explore the promise of growth proposed by developing SEZ in Bitung, we developed a Systems Dynamics model of the interaction between economic growth, social development, and environmental impacts. Based on the model understanding and development, we identified three factors the Indonesian government should improve: coconut plantation productivity, fisheries ship management, and education index. With these three factors in mind, several policy options were tested in the model, resulting in a more substantial impact than the business-as-usual condition.
The changing tides of action to address ocean acidification in Maine
Published 21 February 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy
As carbon dioxide emissions continue to rise worldwide, ocean acidification has become a consequence that threatens both human and natural processes. On a global scale, ocean acidification is relatively well understood. However, the complex ecosystem of the nearshore environment presents challenges for monitoring and addressing ocean acidification. In a state such as Maine, whose communities heavily depend on the health of the coastal environment, understanding this threat becomes critically important.
In 2014, Maine’s legislature established a six month study commission to investigate this problem and produce recommendations. The commission proposed a coast-wide monitoring network that could identify and use a common suite of instruments and analytical tools to better understand ocean acidification. The data produced by this network could then be used to inform policy and management decisions.
Since the conclusion of the study commission, a number of creative partnerships have emerged in the State. A common theme is evident: the most effective way to advance Maine’s understanding of ocean acidification is to work together. This article explores those partnerships, including the most recent between Friends of Casco Bay, the University of New Hampshire, and Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. This collaboration is striving to test the accuracy, strengths, and weaknesses of in-situ monitoring technology and laboratory approaches. An ultimate report will recommend the most appropriate monitoring equipment, sampling techniques, and quality assurance protocols that can serve as a guide for researchers, agencies, and institutions up and down Maine’s coast to better monitor ocean and coastal acidification in Maine.
Continue reading ‘The changing tides of action to address ocean acidification in Maine’The new UN high seas marine biodiversity Agreement may also facilitate climate action: a cautiously optimistic view
Published 20 February 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy
Recently adopted UN high seas Agreement elaborates an overarching legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of the areas beyond national jurisdiction. A remarkable advancement of this Agreement is a clear recognition of the need to address the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems and biodiversity. This comment presents a cautiously optimistic view that the new legal instrument may pave the foundation for global and regional climate action for protecting marine biodiversity in a changing climate. Climate action can be integrated into area-based measures for the conservation of marine ecosystems, including the establishment of high seas marine protected areas. The Agreement also created a legal obligation to consider climate change in the process of environmental impact assessment of activities on the high seas. Therefore, this Agreement is a unique addition and reform to the international law of the sea. However, the success of the Agreement will largely depend on the widespread ratification of states and effective implementation at the regional level.
Continue reading ‘The new UN high seas marine biodiversity Agreement may also facilitate climate action: a cautiously optimistic view’It’s a soft shell life for me: the case for expanding NPDES permitting to include causes of ocean acidification
Published 13 February 2024 Science ClosedTags: policy
Ocean acidification, a lesser-known counterpart to climate change, is primarily caused by the ocean’s absorption of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This absorption, in turn, reduces the ocean’s pH, and has detrimental effects on the health of the entire ecosystem. This Comment examines the applicability of the “functional equivalent test,” coined by the Supreme Court in County of Maui v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund, to the causes of ocean acidification. Using this test, this Comment proposes expanding NPDES permitting under the Clean Water Act to cover some landbased sources emitting carbon dioxide.
Continue reading ‘It’s a soft shell life for me: the case for expanding NPDES permitting to include causes of ocean acidification’Severe 21st-century ocean acidification in Antarctic Marine Protected Areas
Published 25 January 2024 Science ClosedTags: Antarctic, chemistry, modeling, policy, regionalmodeling
Antarctic coastal waters are home to several established or proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) supporting exceptional biodiversity. Despite being threatened by anthropogenic climate change, uncertainties remain surrounding the future ocean acidification (OA) of these waters. Here we present 21st-century projections of OA in Antarctic MPAs under four emission scenarios using a high-resolution ocean–sea ice–biogeochemistry model with realistic ice-shelf geometry. By 2100, we project pH declines of up to 0.36 (total scale) for the top 200 m. Vigorous vertical mixing of anthropogenic carbon produces severe OA throughout the water column in coastal waters of proposed and existing MPAs. Consequently, end-of-century aragonite undersaturation is ubiquitous under the three highest emission scenarios. Given the cumulative threat to marine ecosystems by environmental change and activities such as fishing, our findings call for strong emission-mitigation efforts and further management strategies to reduce pressures on ecosystems, such as the continuation and expansion of Antarctic MPAs.
Continue reading ‘Severe 21st-century ocean acidification in Antarctic Marine Protected Areas’Synergizing climate change and ocean regimes: a comprehensive international legal approach for ocean acidification governance
Published 22 January 2024 Uncategorized ClosedTags: policy
Ocean acidification poses a myriad of challenges, particularly to marine environments and ecosystems. Its negative repercussions are equally obvious from a human-centric perspective. Despite efforts to address ocean acidification through various international legal frameworks, current international legal frameworks, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the United Nations Convention on Climate Change, which represent the climate change regime and the ocean regime , respectively, fall short of adequately addressing ocean acidification challenges. Because of the climate change regime’s atmospheric -centered perspective and the ocean regime’s pollution-oriented perspective, ocean acidification falls between the cracks and is not a priority for either regime. To adequately address the issues posed by ocean acidification, a concerted effort between the the legal regime addressing climate change and the legal regime regulating maritime affairs is crucial. This effort might be realized by developing a robust governance system that encompasses both of these regimes, which are specifically tailored to tackle ocean acidification. Given the complexity of ocean acidification governance, the distribution of roles for both regimes should be thoroughly examined. Due to its broad reach, the ocean regime might take the lead in directing the trajectory of ocean acidification, while the climate change regime might provide assistance within the context of ocean acidification governance. Active mutual reference and due diligence obligations could be employed in this scenario to bridge the gaps created by both the climate change regime and the ocean regime regarding ocean acidification. The active interaction between these regimes might pave the way for proper ocean acidification governance in order to meet the challenges posed by ocean acidification.
Continue reading ‘Synergizing climate change and ocean regimes: a comprehensive international legal approach for ocean acidification governance’Risk classification of low-lying coral reef islands and their exposure to climate threats
Published 21 December 2023 Science ClosedTags: policy, review
Highlights
- Coral islands classified based on their risk from and resilience to climate change
- Approach uses a risk matrix assigns coral islands into 5 classes (Very Low to Very High).
- Methods use open-access and published ocean climate data and have global application.
- 14 out of the 56 islands investigated (25 %) have High or Very High risk classification.
- Our results will support informed coastal management and policy.
Abstract
The bio-physical responses of low-lying coral islands to climate change are of concern. These islands exist across a broad range of bio-physical conditions, and vulnerabilities to rising and warming seas, ocean acidification and increased storminess. We propose a risk-based classification that scores 6 island eco-morphometric attributes and 6 bio-physical ocean/climate conditions from recent open-access data, to assign islands with respect to 5 risk classes (Very Low, Low, Moderate, High and Very High). The potential responses of 56 coral islands in Australia’s jurisdiction (Coral Sea, NW Shelf and NE Indian Ocean) to climate change is considered with respect to their bio-physical attributes and eco-morphometrics. None of the islands were classed as Very Low risk, while 8 were classed as Low (14.3 %), 34 were Moderate (60.7 %), 11 were High (19.6 %), and 3 were Very High (5.4 %). Islands in the Very High risk class (located on the NW Shelf) are most vulnerable due to their small size (mean 10 Ha), low elevation (mean 2.6 m MSL), angular/elongated shape, unvegetated state, below average pH (mean 8.05), above average rates of sea-level rise (SLR; mean 4.6 mm/yr), isolation from other islands, and frequent tropical storms and marine heatwaves. In contrast, islands in the Low (and Very Low) risk class are less vulnerable due to their large size (mean 127 Ha), high elevation (mean 8.5 m MSL), sub-angular/round shape, vegetated state, near average pH (mean 8.06), near average SLR rates (mean 3.9 mm/yr), proximity to adjacent islands, and infrequent cyclones and marine heatwaves. Our method provides a risk matrix to assess coral island vulnerability to current climate change related risks and supports future research on the impacts of projected climate change scenarios. Findings have implications for communities living on coral islands, associated ecosystem services and coastal States that base their legal maritime zones on these islands.
Continue reading ‘Risk classification of low-lying coral reef islands and their exposure to climate threats’Ocean acidification: time for action
Published 21 November 2023 Newsletters and reports , Web sites and blogs ClosedTags: policy, socio-economy
The role of action plans in tackling a mounting ocean crisis
INTRODUCTION
The world is waking up to the threat that ocean acidification (OA)—a rise in the acidity of seawater caused by excess carbon dioxide entering it from the atmosphere—poses to marine ecosystems and to the coastal economies that depend on them. Since OA’s damaging effects on shellfish were first documented 15 years ago, research organisations have mobilised to collect, on an ongoing basis, huge volumes of OA-related data from the world’s oceans. Based on those data, as well as data gathered in coastal areas, scientists have published a wealth of studies examining the causes and effects of OA.
Environmental advocacy groups championing ocean health, charitable foundations and intergovernmental organisations have built on this work to raise global awareness of OA, fund wider research into it and prod governments around the world to take concrete actions to combat it.
Pacific pioneers: Setting the global standard for OA
National action plans are highly desirable, but it is state governments on the US Pacific coast that have set the standard of OA action for the rest of the world to follow.
Governments, however, have been slow to rise to this challenge. Although many have voiced concerns about OA and expressed an intention to fight it through international mechanisms, at the time of writing less than a dozen have published dedicated action plans. These document specific measures governments will take—or are taking—to advance understanding and the domestic response to OA.
The experts we interviewed for this report are strong advocates for OA action plans. Measures to address OA have a vital place in wider climate change and other marine management initiatives, but a dedicated OA plan stands a better chance of cementing the ambition and commitment of a country, region or locality to actively address localised manifestations of OA and turn back the tide. And while some non-government organisations (NGOs) and science institutions have issued OA action plans of their own, none will carry as much weight as those led by governments.
National action plans are highly desirable, but it is state governments on the US Pacific coast that have set the standard of OA action for the rest of the world to follow. It is here that scientists first registered the deadly impacts of OA on marine life and the threat to coastal economies and jobs. That emergency and follow-on research findings led governments in the region to commit unequivocally to combat OA with the help of dedicated, detailed and well-resourced action plans.
In examining governments’ and other entities’ progress on mobilising against OA, this report finds that existing North American action plans offer useful examples and insights for other jurisdictions. Far from all governments will be able to base their plans on the same depth of research or call on the same resources to draft them. But by including in their plans elements such as a vision of success, timelines, assignment of ownership, and a mandate for periodic review and updating, governments can call upon more resources and put their OA action plans on a firm footing.
WHY ACTION IS VITAL
Ocean acidification is a growing threat to many forms of marine life and to the communities that rely on them for food, jobs and economic wellbeing. OA is a direct result of the growing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated by human activity. Up to 30% of carbon released into the atmosphere each year is absorbed by the ocean, which helps to mitigate global warming. But the ocean’s ability to sequester carbon cannot keep pace with rising emission volumes.1 The result is a decline in the pH level of seawater and a rise in its acidity.
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Report citation: Turner J., Braby C., Findlay H., Widdicombe S., Kobayashi M. & Fujii M., 2023. Ocean acidification: time for action. The role of action plans in tackling a mounting ocean crisis. Back to Blue, Economist Impact, The Nippon Foundation. Report.
Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification: time for action’Impact of ocean acidification on coral reefs and the marine ecosystems in Phillipines
Published 17 November 2023 Science ClosedTags: biological response, corals, policy, review, South Pacific
Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of ocean acidification on coral reefs and the marine ecosystems in phillipines
Methodology: The study adopted a desktop methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library
Findings: Ocean acidification reduces the density and growth of coral skeletons, making them more vulnerable to erosion. This threatens coral reefs and the marine life that depends on them. It also affects human benefits from coral reefs, such as fisheries, tourism and storm protection.
Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Theory of Ocean Acidification and Coral Calcification, Theory of Ocean Acidification and Biodiversity Loss and Theory of Adaptation and Resilience of Coral Reefs may be used to anchor future studies on impact of ocean acidification on coral reefs and the marine ecosystems in Philippines. Philippine government should actively participate in global climate agreements and implement policies to reduce carbon emissions at the domestic level. The Philippine government should integrate ocean acidification considerations into national environmental policies and action plans, such as the Philippine Coral Reef Protection Program.
Continue reading ‘Impact of ocean acidification on coral reefs and the marine ecosystems in Phillipines’
