OA Alliance at UNFCCC COP30
Paris Climate Agreement and the Ocean
It has been ten years since the historic Paris Climate Agreement was adopted and subsequently agreed to by 195 countries. At the time, ocean and coastal issues were largely left out of the Agreement, leaving it to national governments and civil society leaders to advance much needed aspects of ocean science, mitigation, and adaptation across domestic and international policies.
In 2019, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) created an official Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue to host critical discussions about how national governments can leverage elements of the Paris Climate Agreement to accelerate ocean-based mitigation efforts and combat climate-ocean changes.
Since 2020, countries have begun the work of incorporating ocean mitigation and adaptation aspects across their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), though more examples and increased climate financing are needed to support governments in this work moving forward.
Specifically, adequate climate finance [Blue Finance Window] for ocean mitigation and adaptation must be sought for projects that protect seafood security and sovereignty in developing regions around the world.
OA Alliance at COP30
This year, a scientific publication alerted policy makers to the stark reality that ocean acidification has already crossed a crucial threshold for planetary health. In a breaking news article about ocean acidification crossing a planetary boundary, The Guardian asked OA Alliance Executive Director, Jessie Turner, about the latest findings and how initiatives like the OA Alliance are working to ensure that acidification is centered in multilateral agendas like the Paris Climate Agreement.
Key messages for countries, subnational governments and civil society at the UNFCCC Climate COP30.
Ocean acidification is a consequence of carbon emissions, and addressing it is central to global climate action, marine governance, and equity.
Transitioning to renewable energy sources is the number one way to combat ocean acidification.
Solutions exist and are being implemented: This is not a lost cause. We are increasingly seeing examples of real, on-the-ground projects that help communities respond to climate change and acidification.
This is a global equity issue: Many regions around the world still lack scientific, policy, and financing support in responding to acidification at the local level.
Leadership is needed at multiple levels: Governments can no longer afford to overlook acidification in mainstream policy agendas. Through the OA Alliance, governments are stepping up and taking policy action at global, regional, national, and local scales.
A sustained focus on combating climate and ocean change is paramount to achieving human health and safety, resilient economies and food security into the future.
Time for Action
The OA Alliance has partnered with LUMA Storytelling to create a short film, “Changing Waters: Time for Action on Ocean Acidification,” featuring OA Alliance members’ stories and experiences tackling ocean acidification and climate-ocean change in North America, Latin America, and the Pacific Island Region.
Filmed in Washington State, Colombia, and Fiji, this character-led short film follows real individuals from the government, indigenous communities, the seafood industry, and scientists who are responding to the accelerating impacts of ocean acidification and calling for action.
The piece aims to inspire broader awareness of this work and accelerate action at a critical moment for climate policy and financing at the UNFCCC meeting, COP30, which will occur in Belem, Brazil November 11-20, 2025.
Premiere dates and times:
IN- PERSON: November 17 between 5:00pm-5:50pm local time at the Blue Moana Pacific Pavilion, COP30 Belem Brazil.
VIRTUAL: November 19 between 12:00pm-1:30pm local time at the Virtual Ocean Pavilion. Register for the virtual premiere here.
Join Us !
The OA Alliance will be hosting events across COP30 that will showcase national and subnational government leadership translating ocean acidification science into policy action.
