Tiago Pitta e Cunha is chief executive of the Oceano Azul Foundation.
The recent COP30 in Belém, Brazil, brought nations together to confront the escalating climate crisis. But amid their discussions, there was a paradox: while a growing number of countries see the ocean as essential to climate action, there is still no institutional mechanism to integrate this critical ally into global climate deliberations.
One way of doing that could be to establish a dedicated ocean agenda item within the official COP agenda, upgrading the existing informal ocean climate dialogue created in COP26 in Glasgow and in doing so, opening a door to unlock the ocean’s potential for climate change mitigation and adaptation.
The ocean is the forgotten hero of the climate system. It absorbs more than 90% of excess heat generated by global warming, regulates temperatures across all continents and stores 25% of the greenhouse gases emitted annually into the atmosphere.
It is also the ultimate destination of more than 90% of the accumulated stock of all man-made carbon since the beginning of the industrial revolution, making it Earth’s most vital carbon sink.
Ocean-based solutions
But despite this indispensable role, the ocean has historically been almost absent in climate strategies and finance. For years, ocean action received less than 1% of global climate finance.
There has been some progress, however. Initiatives such as the “Blue NDC Challenge”, which calls on countries to insert the ocean into their national climate action plans (NDCs), co-led by France and Brazil and supported by nations including Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Indonesia, Portugal and Singapore, demonstrate a growing political will.
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As more countries incorporate ocean-based measures into their national climate plans, there’s clear momentum. Research suggests that fully deploying ocean-based solutions – from decarbonising shipping to expanding marine protected areas – could deliver up to 35% of the emissions reductions needed to stay on a 1.5C pathway by 2050.
Yet, this recognition has not translated into formal institutionalisation within the process of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). For its first 25 years, the ocean was largely absent from COP discussions. While recent efforts have integrated some ocean references into important climate texts, ocean consideration remains informal and scattered – almost a footnote.
The recently revealed breach of the seventh planetary boundary for ocean acidification – and rebukes from the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea – underscore the dire need for formal integration.
Ocean agenda item at future COPs
A dedicated ocean agenda item at future COPs, starting with COP31, is not merely desirable; it is a necessity. This would elevate the ocean’s status, provide the meaningful integration of the ocean into the climate regime, and bring transparency to discussions on the key ocean-climate related issues.
It would also empower the UNFCCC secretariat to take more meaningful ocean-climate action. Countries are starting to become convinced of this imperative, with Fiji leading the charge in Belém by calling for a dedicated ocean agenda item.
Peter Thomson, the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for the ocean, similarly emphasised that without a dedicated agenda item, the ocean will remain invisible in the very negotiations that depend on it.
The reef surrounding Namotu Island, Fiji, has experienced serious coral bleaching caused by increasing ocean temperatures. (Photo: Beau Pilgrim / Climate Visuals)
The reef surrounding Namotu Island, Fiji, has experienced serious coral bleaching caused by increasing ocean temperatures. (Photo: Beau Pilgrim / Climate Visuals)
Additionally, the global target of 30×30 encompassing the protection of 30% of the ocean by 2030, must be formally acknowledged as essential in the fight against climate change.
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) offer a prime example of the ocean’s untapped power. These designated zones safeguard critical marine ecosystems, increase biomass, expand fish stocks and enhance biodiversity.
Crucially, MPAs significantly boost the ocean’s natural capacity for carbon sequestration, particularly in blue carbon ecosystems such as mangroves, salt marsh lands and seagrass beds, and by enhancing the biological carbon pump in the high seas.
Furthermore, with the High Seas Treaty entering into force in January 2026, creating MPAs in areas beyond national jurisdiction becomes a reality, offering an opportunity to integrate ocean and climate solutions on a global scale. MPAs offer thus a strong and often overlooked pathway for countries to meet their climate targets and accelerate their journey towards net zero.
The urgency of securing results from the ocean-climate nexus demands a fundamental re-evaluation of its position within the UNFCCC process. The cross-cutting nature of ocean issues means that without a formal agenda item, discussions will remain fragmented and ineffective. The momentum generated by the Blue NDC Challenge and the growing number of nations championing ocean solutions must be formalised before COP31.
We have run out of time and can no longer afford to treat our ocean as an optional extra. The moment for the ocean to secure a permanent, central position in global climate action is now.
The post The ocean, our planet’s forgotten hero, deserves a formal place in UN climate talks appeared first on Climate Home News.
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