The Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action: Progress on Oceans Action in the United Nations Climate Change Framework

Since the inclusion of the oceans in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the Paris Agreement of 2015, there has been a concerted effort to build upon the momentum that resulted in that... [ view full abstract ]

Since the inclusion of the oceans in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in the Paris Agreement of 2015, there has been a concerted effort to build upon the momentum that resulted in that landmark event. Under the leadership of the Global Oceans Forum, a strategic roadmap for action on oceans and climate has been developed to advance the implementation of the Paris agreement in relations to oceans and coasts. This Roadmap to Oceans and Climate Action comprises a comprehensive set of policy recommendations to address the central role of oceans in climate and climate change and identify policy recommendations under six critical areas of concern: Mitigation, Adaptation, Blue Economy, Displacement, Financing, and Capacity Development.

The Roadmap was developed by a global multi-agency group and presented at the Oceans Action Day event at the 2016 Conference of Parties (COP 22) in Marrakesh, Morocco. It was further refined, and the Oceans Action Day gathering at the COP 23 meeting in Bonn, Germany in 2017 provided a status report and reviewed progress in each of the six categories. A strategy for implementing the roadmap was also developed. This paper provides an overview of the roadmap and addresses progress and preparations being made for the next Oceans Action Day at COP 24 in Katowice, Poland in December 2018.