21st October – As the 16th Conference of the Parties for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 16) opens in Cali, Colombia, a new Greenpeace report, “In Hotter Water: How the Global Ocean Treaty can boost climate action“, presents compelling evidence of the climate crisis’ disastrous impacts on the ocean and coastal communities, as well as solutions forward.
The report summarises scientific findings over the last five years which raise the alarm about ocean warming, coral bleaching, shifting marine species distributions, sea ice loss, sea level rise and extreme weather events.[1] Also highlighting a recent study, the report warns that the oceans’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide may no longer be able to keep pace with human emissions.[2] All these changes have come at huge cost to the oceans themselves, and with profound consequences for billions of people worldwide.
Avinash Chanchal Kumar, Campaign Manager for Greenpeace South Asia, said:
“We must urgently take action and safeguard our best ally in the fight against climate change. Alongside drastically reducing carbon emissions as a matter of urgency, governments must ratify the Global Ocean Treaty that will allow the creation of large protected areas on the high seas. These would improve the resilience of marine ecosystems to climate change, maintain ocean carbon storage capacity and ultimately benefit us all.”
While the ocean and climate crises are worsening, governments have been dragging their feet on measures to effectively protect the oceans. To this day, less than 1% of the high seas – the largest habitat on Earth, comprising 64% of the world’s ocean – is fully or highly protected from human activities.
Anita Rumeshi Perera, Greenpeace South Asia Campaigner in Sri Lanka added:
“The ocean supports all life on this planet, and on the eve of the UN Biodiversity Conference we have displayed a giant inflatable octopus mascot at Lotus Tower in Colombo, to engage with the public on ocean conservation benefits. We are now calling on the new President and future government to make the signature and ratification of the Global Ocean Treaty one of their environmental priorities. Whereas climate change, heat waves and floodings now impact everyday lives we must act on straightforward multilateral solutions at hand”.
At the CBD COP 16, Greenpeace will also work to improve biodiversity funding commitments for developing countries, synergies between biodiversity and climate policies, as well as other ocean and coastal community support priorities.[3]
ENDS
Contacts:
Avinash Chanchal Kumar, Campaign Manager at Greenpeace South Asia – India
Phone: +91-80-42821010
Email: [email protected]
Anita Rumeshi Perera, Campaigner at Greenpeace South Asia – Sri Lanka
Phone: +94773925597
Email: [email protected]
Notes:
“In Hotter Water: How the Global Ocean Treaty can boost climate action” report is available here.
At least 60 countries must ratify the Global Ocean Treaty by the UN Ocean Conference of the Parties (COP) in June 2025 for the agreement to enter into force 120 days later. After ratification, governments must continue to prioritise ocean protection through rapid and effective implementation of the Treaty.
[1] Key facts from the report “In Hotter Water: How the Global Ocean Treaty can boost climate action” include:
- Warming ocean waters mean the ocean is 1–2% less oxygenated than in the 1970s.
- A global mass bleaching event began in 2023 – the second in 10 years – and by July 2024, 73% of the world’s corals had been exposed to enough heat to begin bleaching.
- Sea levels are 21 cm higher than they were in 1900, and projected future ice loss from polar ice sheets and from glaciers in mountainous regions means that larger increases are expected by 2100 even under the lowest emissions scenario
- So-called “once in a century” extreme sea level events are predicted to be 20–30 times more frequent through the rest of the 21st century, exposing one billion people to their effects.
[2] The ocean is the greatest carbon sink on Earth, holding more than 50 times the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. The absorption of carbon dioxide by the ocean has so far provided a buffer against even more extreme impacts from the climate crisis, but this has come at a huge cost to the ocean. Ocean warming, acidification and deoxygenation are causing the health of the ocean to drastically deteriorate. The ocean’s key role in the carbon cycle is therefore being compromised.
[3] See 5 demands to governments to protect biodiversity at UN biodiversity COP16, as well as more detailed CBD COP 16 Finance Media Brief, CBD COP 16 Biodiversity & Climate synergy Media Brief and CBD COP 16 Oceans Media Brief.
