Posts Tagged 'policy'

« Previous Entries
Next Entries »

Atlantic-origin water extension into the Pacific Arctic induced an anomalous biogeochemical event

Published 15 November 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

The Arctic Ocean is facing dramatic environmental and ecosystem changes. In this context, an international multiship survey project was undertaken in 2020 to obtain current baseline data. During the survey, unusually low dissolved oxygen and acidified water were found in a high-seas fishable area of the western (Pacific-side) Arctic Ocean. Herein, we show that the Beaufort Gyre shrinks to the east of an ocean ridge and forms a front between the water within the gyre and the water from the eastern (Atlantic-side) Arctic. That phenomenon triggers a frontal northward flow along the ocean ridge. This flow likely transports the low oxygen and acidified water toward the high-seas fishable area; similar biogeochemical properties had previously been observed only on the shelf-slope north of the East Siberian Sea.

…

Fig. 1: Schematic of the Arctic Ocean circulation and the study area with hydrographic stations.

a, b Maps of the Arctic Ocean and the study area. In a, yellow, blue, and red arrows represent flows from the shelf-slope at the north of the East Siberian Sea (ESS), and from the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in 2017–2020. Ocean circulation and water masses are abbreviated as follows: Beaufort Gyre (BG), Transpolar Drift (TPD), Pacific Water (PW), Lower Halocline Water (LHW), and Atlantic Water (AW). Geographical locations are abbreviated as follows: Canada Basin (CB), Chukchi Plateau (CP), Mendeleyev Ridge (MR), Makarov Basin (MB), and Lomonosov Ridge (LR). In b red, green, and blue dots denote the hydrographic stations conducted by the Research Vessel (R/V) Araon (Korea), R/V Mirai (Japan), and Canadian Coast Guard Ship Louis S. St-Laurent (Canada), under the 2020 Synoptic Arctic Survey project. Black dots indicate other hydrographic stations between 2002 and 2019 listed in Supplementary Table 1.

Continue reading ‘Atlantic-origin water extension into the Pacific Arctic induced an anomalous biogeochemical event’

Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries

Published 15 November 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , ,

This planetary boundaries framework update finds that six of the nine boundaries are transgressed, suggesting that Earth is now well outside of the safe operating space for humanity. Ocean acidification is close to being breached, while aerosol loading regionally exceeds the boundary. Stratospheric ozone levels have slightly recovered. The transgression level has increased for all boundaries earlier identified as overstepped. As primary production drives Earth system biosphere functions, human appropriation of net primary production is proposed as a control variable for functional biosphere integrity. This boundary is also transgressed. Earth system modeling of different levels of the transgression of the climate and land system change boundaries illustrates that these anthropogenic impacts on Earth system must be considered in a systemic context.

Continue reading ‘Earth beyond six of nine planetary boundaries’

Dive industry perspectives on threats to coral reefs: a comparative study across four Asia-Pacific countries

Published 15 November 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , , , , ,

The combined effects of climate change, marine tourism and other stressors threaten the ecological and economic sustainability of coral reefs. This study investigates dive industry stakeholder awareness of the threats to coral reefs through structured interviews with Dive Masters, company managers and marine management agencies in Vietnam, Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia. Stakeholders from all locations have observed degradation of local reefs. Destructive fishing was identified as the principal threat in all regions except Australia. Most participants identified threats from climate change and marine tourism. There was a lack of awareness about ocean acidification by all participants from Maluku, Indonesia. However, ocean acidification could make coral more fragile and, therefore, vulnerable to diver-induced damage. The majority of Dive Masters across all regions provide pre-dive briefings to reduce diver impacts and participate in environmental activities to protect local reefs. Stakeholders in three regions thought there was capacity to expand the local dive industry. However, in Nha Trang Vietnam, most industry stakeholders thought they were at, or exceeded, carrying capacity, whereas marine management employees thought there was room to expand. This study highlights an opportunity to improve diver education on the vulnerability of coral to damage in acidifying oceans. This study also identifies various non-regulatory and regulatory strategies used to reduce diver impacts, emphasising the value of multi-national knowledge sharing between the dive industry and regulatory agencies for adaptive management.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Dive industry stakeholders are concerned about threats to coral reefs.
  • Impacts from diving activities were recognised in three of four regions.
  • There was great discrepancy between regions in the awareness of ocean acidification.
  • Most dive industry stakeholders are engaged in marine conservation activities.
  • Some marine managers and industry stakeholders had discrepant views on diver carrying capacity
Continue reading ‘Dive industry perspectives on threats to coral reefs: a comparative study across four Asia-Pacific countries’

Ocean acidification as an environmental concern

Published 18 October 2023 Science Closed
Tags: ,

Oceans have been essential in protecting Earth from some of the more severe effects of climate change by absorbing around 30% of the carbon dioxide that humans have been responsible for emitting. However, since the industrial era, this has led to a rise in ocean acidity of about 26%. This creates a number of legal challenges in addition to the scientific challenge of tackling the issue of ocean acidification and its effects on marine life. This research paper will analyse the impact of Ocean Acidification on marine ecosystem, maritime transport, food security and fisheries from the lens of human rights approach, and other socioeconomic concerns relating to ocean acidification. And this paper will assess if the existing international legal framework provides the necessary foundation to address these socio-legal challenges.

Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification as an environmental concern’

Priorities for progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 14 ‘Life below water’

Published 13 October 2023 Science Closed
Tags: ,

This year marks the mid-point for the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals, including Sustainable Development Goal 14 (‘Life below water’). We asked a range of researchers working across marine science, conservation, policy and implementation to reflect on priorities for action on ocean health and biodiversity over the next seven years.

In September this year, heads of state and governments gather in New York, USA for the 2023 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) summit — convened by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly — to discuss pathways for accelerating progress towards meeting the 17 SDGs. The overarching goal of SDG14 (‘Life below water’) is to “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”, yet ongoing stressors from climate change, pollution, overfishing and ocean acidification (among multiple other threats, such as deep-sea mining) continue to threaten marine biodiversity and the sustainability and good health of ocean ecosystems. In this Viewpoint, eight researchers and practitioners (Box 1) across seven countries discuss how these ongoing threats undermine achieving the targets outlined in SDG14 by 2030, as well as their interdependencies with other SDGs, and outline solutions for moving towards more sustainable oceans.

…

Continue reading ‘Priorities for progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 14 ‘Life below water’’

Rapid climate change alters the environment and biological production of the Indian Ocean

Published 6 October 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Highlights

  • Indian Ocean experiences unprecedented warming with +1.7–3.8 °C century predictions.
  • Significant decreases in pH and aragonite levels observed during last four decades.
  • Decreasing primary productivity in the north with varying model predictions
  • Importance of establishing biological time series for fisheries management
  • Importance of safeguarding biodiversity in marine protected and other vital areas

Abstract

We synthesize and review the impacts of climate change on the physical, chemical, and biological environments of the Indian Ocean and discuss mitigating actions and knowledge gaps. The most recent climate scenarios identify with high certainty that the Indian Ocean (IO) is experiencing one of the fastest surface warming among the world’s oceans. The area of surface waters of >28 °C (IO Warm Pool) has significantly increased during 2012–2021 by expanding into the northern-central basins. A significant decrease in pH and aragonite (building blocks of calcified organisms) levels in the IO was observed from 1981 to 2020 due to an increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations. There are also signals of decreasing trends in primary productivity in the north, likely related to enhanced stratification and nutrient depletion. Further, the rapid warming of the IO will manifest more extreme weather conditions along its adjacent continents and oceans, including marine heat waves that are likely to reshape biodiversity. However, the impact of climate change beyond the unprecedented warming, increase in marine heat waves, expansion of the IO Warm Pool, and decrease in pH, remains uncertain for many other key variables in the IO including changes in salinity, oxygen, and net primary production. Understanding the response of these physical, chemical, and biological variables to climate change is vital to project future changes in regional fisheries and identify mitigation actions. We accordingly conclude by identifying knowledge gaps and recommending directions for sustainable fisheries and climate impact studies.

Continue reading ‘Rapid climate change alters the environment and biological production of the Indian Ocean’

Assessing the remaining carbon budget through the lens of policy-driven acidification and temperature targets

Published 18 September 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , , ,

Basing a remaining carbon budget on warming targets is subject to uncertainty due to uncertainty in the relationship between carbon emissions and warming. Framing emissions targets using a warming target therefore may not prevent dangerous change throughout the entire Earth system. Here, we use a climate emulator to constrain a remaining carbon budget that is more representative of the entire Earth system by using a combination of both warming and ocean acidification targets. The warming targets considered are the Paris Agreement targets of 1.5 and 2 °C; the acidification targets are −0.17 and −0.21 pH units, informed by aragonite saturation states where coral growth begins to be compromised. The aim of the dual targets is to prevent not only damage associated with warming, but damage to corals associated with atmospheric carbon and ocean acidification. We find that considering acidification targets in conjunction with warming targets narrows the uncertainty in the remaining carbon budget, especially in situations where the acidification target is more stringent than, or of similar stringency to, the warming target. Considering a strict combination of the two more stringent targets (both targets of 1.5 °C warming and −0.17 acidification must be met), the carbon budget ranges from −74.0 to 129.8PgC. This reduces uncertainty in the carbon budget from by 29% (from 286.2PgC to 203.8PgC). This reduction comes from reducing the high-end estimate of the remaining carbon budget derived from just a warming target. Assuming an emissions rate held constant since 2021 (which is a conservative assumption), the budget towards both targets was either spent by 2019 or will be spent by 2026.

Continue reading ‘Assessing the remaining carbon budget through the lens of policy-driven acidification and temperature targets’

Ocean acidification in the Philippines and the potential role of water pollution management in mitigating an unaddressed threat

Published 10 August 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , ,

Ocean acidification is a major threat to marine ecosystems. It is caused by increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere due to anthropogenic emissions and has socio-ecological and socio-economic ramifications for many countries. However, in some critical areas like the Philippines, a known center of marine biodiversity, no legislation currently exists to manage it. This could be due to lack of understanding of the problem, conflicting priorities, or difficulties in implementation common to many developing countries. We consider a possible incremental pathway for the mitigation of ocean acidification impacts on Philippine marine ecosystems using existing laws on marine pollution. This could complement longer term efforts to formalize legislation and institutionalize efforts to address its effects in the country. The approach may possibly be applied in other areas where no specific legislation exists to address crucial environmental problems.

Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification in the Philippines and the potential role of water pollution management in mitigating an unaddressed threat’

Scuba divers, coral reefs, and knowledge of ocean acidification

Published 8 August 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , ,

Ocean acidification (OA) poses a threat to coral reefs by increasing the fragility of susceptible corals to physical damage. As such, the impacts of dive tourism are likely to be exacerbated under acidified conditions. While evidence exists on the impacts of OA, research is scant on scuba divers’ knowledge of OA. The present study explored scuba divers (N = 75) awareness of threats to coral reefs, and factors which are important to the dive experience via an online survey. Responses revealed participants were least aware of OA than other threats to coral reefs. Almost half the participants had a basic understanding of OA, but a high level of concern about its impacts, highlighting an education opportunity for these already ‘concerned’ divers. Factors important to their dive experience included sites being located in a marine protected area / managed for conservation, and high diversity of coral with good quality and minimal disturbance. The findings indicated there are economic opportunities associated with good environmental management at coral reef dive sites, including through preferential site selection and willingness to pay a conservation levy. Recommendations for OA education and awareness initiatives and other regulatory and non-regulatory management strategies are discussed.

Continue reading ‘Scuba divers, coral reefs, and knowledge of ocean acidification’

Variable exposure to multiple climate stressors across the California marine protected area network and policy implications

Published 3 August 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , , , ,

The efficacy of marine protected areas (MPAs) may be reduced when climate change disrupts the ecosystems and human communities around which they are designed. The effects of ocean warming on MPA functioning have received attention but less is known about how multiple climatic stressors may influence MPAs efficacy. Using a novel dataset incorporating 8.8 million oceanographic observations, we assess exposure to potentially stressful temperatures, dissolved oxygen concentrations, and pH levels across the California MPA network. This dataset covers more than two-thirds of California’s 124 MPAs and multiple biogeographic domains. However, spatial-temporal and methodological patchiness constrains the extent to which systematic evaluation of exposure is possible across the network. Across a set of nine well-monitored MPAs, the most frequently observed combination of stressful conditions was hypoxic conditions (<140 umol/kg) co-occurring with low pH (<7.75). Conversely, MPAs exposed most frequently to anomalously warm conditions were less likely to experience hypoxia and low pH, although exposure to hypoxia varied throughout the 2014–2016 marine heatwaves. Finally, we found that the spatial patterns of exposure to hypoxia and low pH across the MPA network remained stable across years. This multiple stressor analysis both confirms and challenges prior hypotheses regarding MPA efficacy under global environmental change.

Continue reading ‘Variable exposure to multiple climate stressors across the California marine protected area network and policy implications’

Applications of ecosystem risk assessment in federal fisheries to advance ecosystem-based fisheries management

Published 11 May 2023 Newsletters and reports Closed
Tags: , ,

Executive Summary

Managing U.S. federal fisheries often requires considering complex interactions among fisheries, protected species, habitats, and other ecosystem components, including humans and climate. In addition, management that focuses on individual species can experience undesirable and unexpected changes due to unaccounted for impacts of climate or other ecosystem factors. Regional fishery management councils (Councils) need ways to efficiently process these interactions and the potential impacts they may have on meeting Council management objectives. One tool that can help with this is the ecosystem-level risk assessment (ERA), also called ecological risk assessments or vulnerability assessments. ERAs are management decision tools that can assist Councils in integrating large amounts of ecosystem information in a standardized, yet flexible and transparent way to help identify issues to prioritize in science or management. The purpose of this document is to share applied results from five regional case studies of ERA. The case studies cover different geographies illustrate how Councils can systematically approach ERA to help address current challenges and advance ecosystem-based fisheries management. To demonstrate the versatility of this tool, we organized the case studies by three different applications in the adaptive fishery management process: screening, prioritization, and evaluation. We emphasized broader ERAs that analyzed a number of different ecosystem drivers in one assessment. To improve the process of incorporating ecosystem information into fishery management decisions, we summarize key takeaways from the case studies. Finally, we provide additional recommendations for optimizing ERA use at the end of this report.

Continue reading ‘Applications of ecosystem risk assessment in federal fisheries to advance ecosystem-based fisheries management’

Quantitative assessment of the response of seawater environmental quality to marine protection policies under regional economic development – a case study of Xiamen Bay, China

Published 10 May 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , , , ,

Xiamen is the epitome of having steady economic growth and non-negligible environmental stress over decades. Several restoration programs have been applied to address the conflicts between heavy environmental pressures and human activities, but the response of current coastal protection policies to the marine environment remains to be assessed. Therefore, to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of marine conservation policies under regional economic growth in Xiamen, quantitative techniques including elasticity analysis and dummy variable regression models were applied. Here we show the potential relationship between seawater quality (pH, COD, DIN and DRP) and economic growth including Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross Ocean Product (GOP), to evaluate the ongoing related policies by using over 10 years of data (2007–2018). According to our estimates, a GDP growth rate of 8.5% represents a stable economic climate that is favorable for the overall rehabilitation of the local coastal environment. The results of the quantitative research indicate a strong relationship between economic development and seawater quality, with marine protection regulations serving as the direct cause. As GDP growth and pH are significantly positively correlated (coef. = 0.8139, p = 0.012), ocean acidification has decreased over the last decade. With an inversely proportional correlation with GDP (coef. = 0.8456, p = 0.002) and GOP (coef. = 0.8046, p = 0.005), the trend in COD concentrations effectively meets the targets of current pollution control legislation. By using a dummy variable regression model, we found that legislation is the most effective way in seawater recovery in the GOP section, and positive externalities of marine protection frameworks are also estimated. Meanwhile, it is predicted that the negative effects from the non-GOP section will gradually affect the coastal environmental quality gradually. An overall framework for controlling marine pollutant discharges, giving equal attention to maritime and non-maritime anthropogenic activities should be promoted and updated.

Continue reading ‘Quantitative assessment of the response of seawater environmental quality to marine protection policies under regional economic development – a case study of Xiamen Bay, China’

Ocean acidification and the Anthropocene: an emergency response

Published 5 May 2023 Science Closed
Tags: ,

This chapter considers the threat of ocean acidification from the perspective of both harm to ocean ecological systems and positive climate feedbacks. A survey of current governance responses demonstrates an alarming failure. No international governance regime currently accounts for ocean acidification by requiring significant and additional reductions in CO2 emissions. In an oceans context, acidification is treated as a gradual background stressor along with a range of climate change impacts. Against this backdrop and employing the Anthropocene concept, together with emerging realization that we face a planetary emergency, this chapter proposes a radical change of approach. It proposes that we begin with emergency closure of a large swath of the ocean – namely areas beyond national jurisdiction. While not an end in itself, emergency closure of the Earth’s largest ecological system is a critical place to begin confronting what the Anthropocene means, the implications for all life, and how humanity must govern itself. Change here may seed a very different understanding of what is required as we confront the reality of an Earth system as a global ecological commons on the verge of abrupt, irreversible, and destructive changes. At the very least, such an emergency response may (not will) slow the rate of accumulating harm while we formulate entirely new human responses fully commensurate with the complex and urgent existential crisis of our making.

Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification and the Anthropocene: an emergency response’

The hazard components of representative key risks: the physical climate perspective

Published 4 May 2023 Science Closed
Tags:

The framework of Representative Key Risks (RKRs) has been adopted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group II to categorize, assess and communicate a wide range of regional and sectoral key risks from climate change. These are risks expected to become severe due to the potentially detrimental convergence of changing climate conditions with the exposure and vulnerability of human and natural systems. Other papers in this special issue treat each of eight RKRs holistically by assessing their current status and future evolution as a result of this convergence. However, in these papers, such assessment cannot always be organized according to a systematic gradation of climatic changes. Often the big-picture evolution of risk has to be extrapolated from either qualitative effects of “low”, “medium” and “high” warming, or limited/focused analysis of the consequences of particular mitigation choices (e.g., benefits of limiting warming to 1.5 or 2C), together with consideration of the socio-economic context and possible adaptation choices that factor in the risk assessment.

In this study we offer a representation – as systematic as possible given current literature and assessments – of the future evolution of the hazard components of RKRs. We draw on the assessment of changes in climatic impact-drivers relevant to RKRs described in the 6th Assessment Report by Working Group I (WGI) supplemented when needed by more recent literature.

We identify the relevant hazards for each RKR, based upon the WGII authors’ assessment, and we report on their current state and expected future changes in magnitude, intensity and/or frequency, linking these changes to Global Warming Levels (GWLs) to the extent possible.

For some of these quantities – like regional trends in oceanic and atmospheric temperature and precipitation, some heat and precipitation extremes, permafrost thaw and Northern Hemisphere snow cover – a strong and quantitative relationship with increasing GWLs has been identified. For others – like frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones and extra-tropical storms, and fire weather – that link can only be described qualitatively. For some processes – like the behavior of ice sheets, or changes in circulation dynamics – large uncertainties about the effects of different GWLs remain, and for a few others – like ocean pH and air pollution – the composition of the scenario of anthropogenic emissions is most relevant, rather than the warming reached. In almost all cases, however, the basic message remains that every small increment in CO2 concentration in the atmosphere and associated warming will bring changes in climate phenomena that will contribute to increasing risk of impacts on human and natural systems in the absence of compensating changes in these systems’ exposure and vulnerability, and in the absence of effective adaptation. Our picture of the evolution of RKR-relevant climatic impact-drivers complements and enriches the treatment of RKRs in the other papers in at least two ways: by filling in an often only cursory or limited representation of the physical climate aspects driving impacts, and by providing a fuller representation of their future potential evolution, an important component – if never the only one – of the potential future evolution of risk severity.

Continue reading ‘The hazard components of representative key risks: the physical climate perspective’

Adaptive governance of coral reefs: cases of Florida and the Caribbean

Published 25 April 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , , , ,

Coral reefs are one of the most imperiled yet one of the most valuable ecosystems on the planet, providing food, medicine, and property protection to hundreds of millions of coastal people all over the world. Coral reefs are being lost at an unprecedented rate throughout their range. In the Florida Reef Tract alone, 98% of hard coral has died due to heat waves, disease, and poor water quality, making modern reefs almost unrecognizable. Given the stress that coral reefs are facing due to human and natural causes, there are two key knowledge gaps that are essential to address: the significance of the losses of culturally important benefits that coral reefs provide to people, and the ways that people are adapting to the rapid loss of coral reefs. This dissertation aims to address both gaps.

Continue reading ‘Adaptive governance of coral reefs: cases of Florida and the Caribbean’

Ocean acidification as a governance challenge in the Mediterranean Sea: impacts from aquaculture and fisheries

Published 25 April 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Despite the progress in the international and regional governance efforts at the level of climate change, ocean acidification (OA) remains a global problem with profoundly negative environmental, social, and economical consequences. This requires extensive mitigation and adaptation effective strategies that are hindered by current shortcomings of governance. This multidisciplinary chapter investigates the risks of ocean acidification (OA) for aquaculture and fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea and its sub-basins and the role of regional adaptive governance to tackle the problem. The identified risks are based on the biological sensitivities of the most important aquaculture species and biogenic habitats and their exposure to the current and future predicted (2100) RCP 8.5 conditions. To link OA exposure and biological sensitivity, we produced spatially resolved and depth-related pH and aragonite saturation state exposure maps and overlaid these with the existing aquaculture industry in the coastal waters of the Mediterranean basin to demonstrate potential risk for the aquaculture in the future. We also identified fisheries’ vulnerability through the indirect effects of OA on highly sensitive biogenic habitats that serve as nursery and spawning areas, showing that some of the biogenic habitats are already affected locally under existing OA conditions and will be more severely impacted across the entire Mediterranean basin under 2100 scenarios. This provided a regional vulnerability assessment of OA hotspots, risks and gaps that created the baseline for discussing the importance of adaptive governance and recommendations for future OA mitigation/adaptation strategies. By understanding the risks under future OA scenarios and reinforcing the adaptability of the governance system at the science-policy interface, best informed, “situated” management response capability can be optimised to sustain ecosystem services.

Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification as a governance challenge in the Mediterranean Sea: impacts from aquaculture and fisheries’

Aquaculture mapping in the context of climate change

Published 24 April 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , , , ,

The development of aquaculture is facing unprecedented pressures from climate change, resource constraints, environmental pollution, energy consumption, and other factors. For coping with these challenges and for ensuring sustainable development of aquaculture, spatial planning in aquaculture activities become more and more important. An ecosystem-based approach for aquaculture mapping is needed to strategically and comprehensively balance the location, aquaculture type, and stakeholders’ interests. In this chapter, we aim to describe the definition, key steps, and methods of aquaculture zoning, especially in the context of climate change (e.g., global warming, ocean acidification, hypoxia/anoxia, sea level rising, and extreme events). We also provide two case studies of aquaculture mapping in China.

Continue reading ‘Aquaculture mapping in the context of climate change’

Resilience of a giant clam subsistence fishery in Kiribati to climate change

Published 20 April 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , , , ,

Changes in sea surface temperature have historically impacted the habitat of giant clams in Kiribati. In many islands of Kiribati, the four species of giant clam have largely withstood these environmental changes, through adaptive responses to anthropogenic pressures. The Kiribati giant clam fishery is a data-limited multi-species fishery, so in adopting and applying a comprehensive resilience framework to highlight attributes conferring and limiting resilience across the ecological, governance, and socio-economic aspects of the fishery we used knowledge co-production and the precautionary principle approach to better inform place-based attempts to operationalise resilience measures. We found that the resilience of the fishery to marine heatwaves and ocean acidification, as highlighted by local stakeholders, will depend on the ability of fisheries stakeholders to act collectively, with flexibility, to implement adaptive governance. Climate change, coupled with human impacts, have reduced ecological resilience in the urbanised island of South Tarawa, in contrast to the more remote or sparsely populated islands. In South Tarawa, governance and social processes are less flexible, leading to declines in the local subsistence clam fishery. Conversely, on several remote outer islands, where the social-ecological system has shown promise in combating these anthropogenic influences (e.g., through adaptive community-based fisheries management), the ecological resilience has improved, and the subsistence clam fishery has persisted. Our case study demonstrates the importance of a participatory approach and local knowledge when assessing climate resilience and identifies pathways of resilience in other small-scale fisheries, especially when data are limited.

Continue reading ‘Resilience of a giant clam subsistence fishery in Kiribati to climate change’

La superposición de regímenes jurídicos en el Derecho Internacional para abordar la acidificación de los océanos (in Spanish)

Published 13 April 2023 Science Closed
Tags:

Overlapping legal regimes in International Law to address ocean acidification

Resumen

Los océanos absorben aproximadamente el 30% de las emisiones globales de dióxido de carbono (CO2), ya que actúan como sumideros de carbono junto a los bosques. Ahora bien, el actuar como sumideros de carbono tiene sus consecuencias, ya que los océanos se están volviendo más ácidos debido a una interacción química entre las moléculas de agua (H2O) y el CO2, que produce ácido carbónico (H2CO3). El ácido carbónico reduce la cantidad de iones carbonato en el agua, lo que genera una serie de efectos negativos en la cadena trófica marina que afectan a muchos organismos marinos y por ende también a los recursos del mar de los que obtenemos alimentos. En la actualidad no hay ningún instrumento jurídico internacional que aborde específicamente la acidificación de los océanos o sus efectos sobre el medio marino. Este tema de la acidificación tiene implicaciones en distintos sectores jurídicos del derecho internacional, lo que hace compleja su articulación jurídica y por ello son escasos los trabajos que se han ocupado del impacto jurídico de la acidificación. El objetivo general de este trabajo es analizar, a nivel universal, aquellos instrumentos jurídicos que pueden ser empleados en la lucha contra la acidificación de los océanos, teniendo en cuenta que hay dos regímenes normativos con implicación directa a este respecto: el régimen internacional del cambio climático y el derecho del mar.

Abstract

The oceans absorb approximately 30% of global CO2 emissions, as they act as carbon sinks along with forests. However, acting as carbon sinks has its consequences, since the oceans are becoming more acidic due to a chemical interaction between water molecules (H2O) and CO2, which produces carbonic acid (H2CO3). Carbonic acid reduces the amount of carbonate ions in the water, which generates a series of negative effects in the marine food chain that affect many marine organisms and therefore also the sea resources from which we obtain food. There is currently no international legal instrument that specifically addresses ocean acidification or its effects on the marine environment. This issue of acidification has implications in many legal sectors of international law, which makes its legal articulation complex, and for this reason there are few works that have dealt with the legal impact of acidification. The general objective of this paper is to analyze, at the universal level, those legal instruments that can be used in the fight against ocean acidification, taking into account that there are two normative regimes with direct implications in this regard: the International Climate Change Regime and the Law of the Sea.

Continue reading ‘La superposición de regímenes jurídicos en el Derecho Internacional para abordar la acidificación de los océanos (in Spanish)’

Are we ready for ocean acidification? A framework for assessing and advancing policy readiness

Published 29 March 2023 Science Closed
Tags: , ,

Effective climate policy that addresses carbon dioxide emissions is essential to minimizing and addressing the impacts of ocean acidification (OA). Here we present a framework to assess the readiness of OA policy, using coral reefs as a focal system. Six dimensions encompass comprehensive preparation by ecosystems and societies for the impacts of OA and other anthropogenic hazards: (1) climate protection measures, (2) OA literacy, (3) area-based management, (4) research and development, (5) adaptive capacity of dependent sectors, and (6) policy coherence. We define standardized indicators, identify leading countries, and evaluate the case study of Australia, the country with the largest coral reef system. The framework provides a rubric for a government unit to self- assess strengths and weaknesses in policy preparedness and to prioritize future endeavors.

Continue reading ‘Are we ready for ocean acidification? A framework for assessing and advancing policy readiness’

Subscribe

Search

  • Reset

OA-ICC Highlights

Resources