DEVELOPING AND DISSEMINATING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE
The scientific mediation activity of the Ocean & Climate Platform (OCP) is based on the idea that in order to act properly, we must understand. The OCP therefore works on highlighting the fundamental links between the ocean, climate and biodiversity, and on making scientific knowledge accessible to policy makers so that they can make science-informed decisions.
BRINGING TOGETHER KNOWLEDGE ON OCEAN, CLIMATE AND BIODIVERSITY
For all its actions, the OCP relies on its Scientific Committee (SC) and its Committee of Experts (COMEX). These two advisory bodies are distinguished by the diversity of their members, scientists and experts in the field of ocean research and science, coming from various backgrounds. Multidisciplinary and international, the SC and COMEX are the foundation of the scientific legitimacy of the OCP and support all its activities.
Through the action of these two bodies, the OCP participates in promoting scientific knowledge on ocean-climate-biodiversity issues.
BRINGING TOGETHER SCIENTIFIC EXPERTISE
In a spirit of interdisciplinarity and knowledge sharing, the OCP produces scientific and educational content with the help of its members and its community of experts.
The aim is to bring together expertise on ocean-climate-biodiversity interactions and to provide decision-makers and the general public with the tools to understand the major scientific issues at stake.
Because the ocean, although strongly affected by climate change, is also part of the solution!
SHARING KNOWLEDGE
One of the OCP’s missions is to share the latest scientific knowledge on the links between the ocean, climate and biodiversity with as many individuals as possible. It is with this in mind that the OCP and its members interact with the general public in order to shed light on the fundamental role that the ocean and its ecosystems play in climate regulation.
The OCP also organises regular meetings with government departments, in order to raise awareness among decision-makers of the threats affecting the oceans, but also in making them aware of the many solutions it can provide in the face of global changes.
ENCOURAGING THE RECOGNITION OF THE OCEAN & CLIMATE LINKS:
THE IPCC AND THE OCP
MOBILISING CLIMATE EXPERTS TO PRODUCE AN OCEAN REPORT (SROCC)
At COP21 (2015), the OCP very actively supported, alongside Monaco, France and Chile, the need for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to produce an ocean report as part of its 6th assessment cycle.
The IPCC has taken up the issue, and released in september 2019 the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in the Context of Climate Change (SROCC). The ocean was thus finally recognised as a major climate change issue. Thanks to its scientific expertise, OCP was the only NGO to participate in the French governmental review of this report.
THE OCP AS ”REVIEWER" OF THE LATEST IPCC REPORTS
Since 2018, the OCP has participated in the French governmental review of the chapters regarding ocean issues in the IPCC reports. It is the only non-governmental organisation to have been entrusted with this mission at the national scale.
The OCP participated in the review of the 1.5°C Report (2018), the SROCC (2019) and is now participating in the review of the AR6 Report, which will be published between 2021 and 2022.
Within this framework, the OCP brings together a community of experts in scientific mediation to highlight the latest knowledge on ocean-climate-biodiversity interactions, and produces accessible content for decision makers and the general public.
THE UNITED NATIONS DECADE OF OCEAN SCIENCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
The main objective of the UN Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) is to support efforts to reverse the cycle of decline in the health of the ocean and to create better conditions for the sustainable development of oceans, seas and coasts, through the implementation of the 2030 Agenda’s SDG14.
By launching a rallying call for ocean science, the Decade encourages information sharing across sectors, capacity building for action and innovation, and the growth of ocean-related knowledge.
This vision is widely shared by the OCP, which organised in 2018, jointly with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO), the first high-level scientific conference of the preparatory phase of the Decade: “From COP21 towards the UN Decade of Ocean Science”.
At the dawn of this new decade of action, the OCP reaffirms its commitment to the preservation of the ocean and its ecosystems, and intends to participate actively alongside its members in achieving the objectives of this new international framework for ocean action.
