The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), gathered in Nairobi from April 11 to 13 during its 43rd plenary session, set its work program for the 6th assessment cycle. The Ocean is a major priority, with a Special Report, dedicated to interactions between climate, ocean and the cryosphere.
This Special Report on the Ocean, one of the major lines of the Ocean & Climate Platform’s advocacy, was officially requested by Monaco to the IPCC in February 2015 during its 41st session.
Prior to COP21, for over a year, the Ocean & Climate Platform gathered approximately 70 international scientific and economic stakeholders and civil society and supported this proposition by developing a number of initiatives based on this advocacy.
The World Oceans Day, organized on June 8 2015 in collaboration with UNESCO via its mobilization reached a milestone for Ocean and Climate issues.
The “Ocean’s call for climate” ,launched for the occasion, collected over 30.000 signatures in order to engage member states to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in positioning the ocean at the heart of climate issues.
The actions continued during COP21 with over 70 events organized on the topic and key events, such as the Ocean and Climate Forum, the ocean included in the Paris Agreement Preamble and the signature of the “Because the ocean” declaration by 22 states, calling for a Special Report on the Ocean.
The Ocean & Climate Platform is pleased with this work conducted in collaboration with Monaco, the French government and large international prestigious scientific organizations.
The achievement of an IPCC Special Report on the Ocean will enable for the first time, the development of an integrated vision of climate change impacts on the ocean and its role in the climate system. It should also assess solutions and public policies to implement for the most vulnerable coastal areas and islands.
The Ocean and Climate Platform is pursuing its action, in order for the Ocean to be included in the implementation of the Paris Agreement, and is preparing new proposals for COP22 which will be held in Morocco.
The Platform will actively participate in the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Marine Environment Protection Committee, which will be held in London from April 18 to 22. The Platform urges all IMO member states to implement an international surveillance system, declaration and verification of carbon dioxide emissions in compliance with their commitment at COP21, in regards to the Lima Paris Plan of Action.