
Landmark SHE_SEES exhibition comes to Portsmouth
After its launch at last year’s London International Shipping Week, our SHE_SEES exhibition is opening at the Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.
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At COP, the Ocean rose on the agenda. One official outcome from COP26 is that the Ocean will now be a fundamental component of all Climate COPs going forward. There will be an official dialogue on the ocean held ahead of each COP stemming from the unprecedented convergence that the climate cannot be tackled without the ocean, and that the ocean cannot be helped without climate action.
On the non-party side, we saw three Ocean Declarations (youth, public and private sector leaders, and 16 countries). One of these, the Ocean for Climate Declaration, was signed by Lloyd's Regsiter Group and Lloyd's Register Foundation and called on governments and businesses to scale up ocean-based climate solutions and action.
There were many other developments in the Ocean: Shipping, Offshore Renewables, Nature Based Solution, Blue Finance and Seafood. In the meantime, one emerging theme at meetings this year was the Just Transition, the human-centred approach to a zero carbon transition which asks 1) how we can support workers and communities who are transitioning out of the carbon economy and 2) how can we address existing inequalities through skills, capabilities, education in a low carbon world.
The Glasgow meeting was both a green and a blue COP. The Ocean-as a source of climate action- is expected to play an even greater role at COP27 in Egypt.
This year stands out from past COP meetings in terms of the voice, role and pledges of the non-party actors. We saw unprecedented convergence between investors, businesses, cities and subnational regions that can drive real economy transformation — now all actors must deliver.
Ocean action is Climate Action. This was the first Blue Cop that formally recognised that the Ocean is part of the solution. The role of the Ocean was squarely at the centre of climate discussion. To paraphrase John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy on the Climate said: “You cannot protect the ocean without solving climate change and you cannot solve climate change without protecting the Oceans."
Oceans will now be a fundamental component of all Climate COPs going forward. The ocean has now been formally recognised by the political process under the UNFCCC - reflecting years of ocean advocacy and work by the community. An ocean dialogue will take place each year as part of Climate COPs going forward.
Society has called on governments and businesses for ocean action as well as recognition of ocean-based climate solutions: At COP26, three separate declarations from across society called for greater support and protection for the ocean.
Nature based solutions (NBS) were high on the agenda as mitigating carbon sinks and resilient coastal buffers
The financial markets are a critical tool in scaling up a sustainable ocean economy. A number of Blue bonds were announced:
Although shipping has not been a formal part of COP negotiations before, it received unprecedented attention at COP26 relative to previous COPS. It was clear that the shipping industry will decarbonise. It is now a matter of which technologies and at what pace. There were a number of significant declarations by countries.
An emerging theme was that decarbonisation needs to be a human-centred transition. The official outcome references to the need to ensure a just transitions that promote sustainable development and eradication of poverty, and the creation of decent work.
Overall, the Ocean Narrative has been agreed, in terms of its centrality in addressing climate change, biodiversity and the 2030 Global Agenda.
A number of high-level meetings will carry forward ocean work from COP26 in 2022 including: