Lindley Mease and Kristen Weiss
Our oceans and the climate are inextricably linked: the ocean regulates our global climate, and climate change is having substantial impacts on the ocean and its wildlife. Since 1955, the ocean has absorbed over 90 percent of the excess heat building up from the release of greenhouse gases emitted from the burning of fossil fuels. Absorbing this heat in the form of CO2 is starting to take its toll on ocean ecosystems. This World Oceans Day is an appropriate time to celebrate important progress that has been made to reverse this process and to examine the challenges ahead.
The tide turns at UN climate talks as oceans gain recognition in the Paris Agreement
At COP21 last December, negotiators from 195 countries signed a momentous deal to address climate change, one that is considered by many to be a historic turning point in the world’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gases. What’s more, thanks to the concerted efforts of many organizations and individuals, the Paris Agreement includes recognition of the ocean both in the preamble and in the agreement itself within the context of ”Ecosystem Integrity.”
Why is it such a big deal that the ocean received attention in the Paris Agreement? In part, it’s because oceans had never been a significant part of the discussion at past U.N. climate talks, so inclusion this year was considered a big win for ocean advocates, researchers, and other stakeholders. More importantly, it has paved the way toward more integrative ecosystem-based management, in which the links between ocean, climate, ecosystem health, and human well-being are explicitly recognized. While the inclusion in the climate agreement signals movement in the right direction, the oceans face many critical challenges as global warming continues.
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