Ocean discussions underway at COP28

NOC's Head of Marketing Peter Ryde is part of our COP28 delegation, championing the ocean at the Ocean Pavilion. 

This week saw the opening of COP28, with members of the NOC’s delegation travelling to Dubai to unveil the Ocean Pavilion in COP’s ‘Blue Zone’ for its second year. 

The collaborative effort to address and advance global climate objectives is already in full swing, with events highlighting hot ocean topics vital in the climate discussion. 

What happened on COP’s opening day?

COP28 saw a strong start with delegates from the UAE, EU, US and Japan agreeing on a new climate loss and damage fund designed to help developing nations cover some of the costs of climate impacts. It’s interesting to note that to push the deal through, wealthier nations added a caveat that contributions to this fund are voluntary. Day one also concluded the first stocktake on Global progress to the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement aimed at limiting global warming to less than 2 degrees. Spoiler alter! We're not going to meet that target, in fact, we are more likely to see temperatures rise by 3 degrees. Another sobering projection is that instead of reducing carbon emissions by half by 2040, we are on track to increase CO2 by 9%. 

Day one for the Ocean Pavilion got off to a slow start. It is situated at the end of the blue zone and is some walk from the entrance. However, the stand is one of the most impressive I’ve seen at COP and is a best-in-class example of collaboration and the one thing that should be present everywhere at COP. The Pavilion brings together 34 partners with one strong, loud voice to shout the importance of the ocean and raise it up the climate agenda. The Dubai Declaration outlines what we stand for and what is needed to help us understand and fight climate change.   

What has NOC been up to this week at COP?

Our COP delegation includes our world-leading scientists and ocean experts who are joining the call from dozens of marine research organisations to world leaders to take ocean action. 

This week, Dr Claire Evans led a session on marine sediments, which serve as a crucial, long-term carbon reservoir, securely isolating it from the atmosphere. 

Our CEO Professor Ed Hill also spoke at the 'North Atlantic Carbon Observatory – A Needed Starting Point for Climate Strategies and Climate Mitigation Solutions' event. 

Roundtable discussion

What do our scientists want to see achieved through COP 28? Check out our roundtable discussion I join Dr B. B. Cael, Dr Chelsey Baker and Dr Claire Evans to talk about this and more.

Roundtable Discussion: The Importance of the Ocean Being Part of the Conversation at COP28 - YouTube