The Ocean as a Solution for Climate Change: 5 Opportunities for Action

THE OCEAN AS A SOLUTION FOR CLIMATE CHANGE:
FIVE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTION
Expert Group in support of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy
October 3, 2019
Co-hosted by WRI and the Embassies of Chile, Fiji, Jamaica, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, and Palau

Sherpa Meeting, Lisbon, May 2019
Andrew Steer
President and CEO, WRI

Timing Agenda Speaker
9:00 –
9:30
Welcome
• Introduction to the day Dr. Andrew Steer (WRI)
• The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy Ambassador Kåre Aas (Norway)
• Implications of ocean-based climate solutions for the “Blue COP” Ambassador Alfonso Silva Navarro (Chile)
9:30 –
10:55
The Ocean as a Solution for Climate Change
• The 5 Opportunities for Action
• Panel discussion
• Q&A
Dr. Peter Haugan (Institute of Marine Research)
Dr. Steve Gaines (UC Santa Barbara)
Manaswita Konar (WRI)
10:55 –
11:00
Closing remarks Craig Hanson (WRI)
Agenda

Ambassador Kåre Aas
Norway Ambassador to the United States

Scott Morrison
Prime Minister of Australia
Justin Trudeau
Prime Minister of Canada
Sebastián Piñera
President of Chile
Frank Bainimarama
Prime Minister of Fiji
Nana Akufo-Addo
President of Ghana
Joko Widodo
President of Indonesia
Andrew Holness
Prime Minister of Jamaica
Shinzō Abe
Prime Minister of Japan
Uhuru Kenyatta
President of Kenya
Andrés López Obrador
President of Mexico
Hage Gottfried Geingob
President of Namibia
Erna Solberg
Prime Minister of Norway
Tommy Remengesau, Jr
President of Palau
António Costa
Prime Minister of Portugal
Peter Thomson
UN SG’s Special Envoy
for the Ocean
The High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy

Ambassador Alfonso Silva Navarro
Chile Ambassador to the United States

Craig Hanson
Vice President (Food, Forests, Water & the Ocean), WRI

Launched at United Nations Climate Action Summit
(September 2019)

Accompanying article in Science

Convening lead
author
Expert authors
Expert Group
Co-chairs
Dr. Jane Lubchenco
(Oregon State University, USA)
Dr. Peter Haugan
(Institute of Marine Research, Norway)
Hon. Mari Pangestu
(University of Indonesia, Indonesia)
Ove Hoegh-Guldberg
(Global Change Institute, Australia)
Ken Caldeira
(Carnegie Institution for Science, USA)
Peter Haugan
(Institute of Marine Research, Norway)
Thierry Chopin
(University of New Brunswick, France)
Jennifer Howard
(Conservation International, USA)
Eliza Northrop
(WRI)
Mark Hemer
(Ocean and Atmosphere Climate
Science Centre, CSIRO, Australia)
Manaswita Konar
(WRI)
Dorte Krause-Jensen
(Aarhus University, Denmark)
Catherine E. Lovelock
(The University of Queensland, Australia)
Mark Michelin
(California Environmental Associates, USA)
Finn Gunnar Nielsen
(Bergen Offshore Wind Centre, Norway)
Steve Gaines
(Bren School of Environmental Science and
Management, USA)
Robert Parker
(Dalhousie University, Canada)
Tristan Smith
(UCL Energy Institute, UK)
Shreya Some
(Jadavpur University, India)
Peter Tyedmers
(Dalhousie University, Canada)
Joyashree Roy
(Asian Institute of Tech, Thailand)
Elizabeth Lindstad
(SINTEF Ocean, Norway)
The team that developed the report

Key findings
Ocean-based climate action can play a much bigger role in shrinking the world’s
carbon footprint than was previously thought
It could deliver up to a fifth (21% or 11 GtCO2e/year) of the annual greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions cuts needed in 2050 to limit global temperature rise to 1.5°C
Reductions of this magnitude are larger than annual emissions from all current coal-
fired power plants world-wide

The ocean is on the front lines of the battle against climate
change . . .

. . . but in so doing it has become a
victim of climate change

However, new analysis has identified five ocean-based climate
action areas that can help in the fight against climate change

Ocean-based mitigation options explored

Determining mitigation potential

Summary of global mitigation potential offered by each area of ocean-
based climate action

Potential contribution of five areas of ocean-based action to mitigating
climate change in 2050 (maximum GtCO2e)

Annual emissions from all coal-fired
power plants worldwide
Taking 2.5 billion cars off the road
This is equivalent to . . .

Contribution of ocean-based mitigation options to
closing the emissions gap in 2050

Ocean-based renewable energy
Scaling up offshore wind 0.65 – 3.50
Scaling up other forms of ocean
energy
0.11 – 1.90
2050 mitigation potential
(GtCO2e/year)

Decarbonising shipping
Reducing emissions from
domestic shipping
0.15 - 0.3
international shipping
0.75 - 1.5
(GtCO2e/year)

Coastal and marine ecosystem conservation and restoration
Conservation: Halting losses of mangroves, salt marshes,
and seagrasses 0.25 - 0.8
Restoration: Restoring mangroves, salt marshes, and
seagrasses
0.2 - 0.3
Upscaling macroalgal production via aquaculture 0.05–0.3
Ending overexploitation of ocean fisheries Knowledge gaps
(GtCO2e/year)

Reducing emissions from wild
capture fishing vessels
0.1
aquaculture
0.04
Increasing share of ocean-
based proteins in diets
0.3 – 1.1
Ocean foods
(GtCO2e/year)

While there is potential to store CO2 in the seabed, additional research
is required to mitigate environmental risks
CO2 storage in the seabed 0.5 - 2.0
(GtCO2e/year)

Ocean-based climate mitigation options have more co-benefits than trade-offs,
and will support the achievement of the SDGs

Access at www.oceanpanel.org

PANEL DISCUSSION
Dr. Peter Haugan (Programme Director, Institute of Marine Research;
Past Chair of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission)
Dr. Steve Gaines (Dean & Distinguished Professor, University of
California Santa Barbara)
Manaswita Konar (Ocean Economist, World Resources Institute)
Moderator: Craig Hanson (Vice President of Food, Forests, Water &
the Ocean at World Resources Institute)

Q&A

The Ocean as a Solution for Climate Change: 5 Opportunities for Action

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