How do we build an aquaculture sector that is serious about SDGs

By SalM on March 31, 2021 in News Articles

he development of global aquaculture over the course of the next 20 years must be more focused on helping to reduce poverty and hunger – the first two, and most important, of the UN’s sustainable development goals.

The blue Economy as an Opportunity to Advance Gender Equality

By SalM on March 26, 2021 in News Articles

Shipping groups calling EU to advance marine ‘fuels of future’

By SalM on March 22, 2021 in News Articles

Shipping and trade groups are calling on the European Union to advance the development of ammonia and green hydrogen as the best marine fuel options to enable the industry to accelerate decarbonisation.

With about 90% of world trade transported by sea, global shipping accounts for nearly 3% of the world’s CO2 emissions.

To reach goals for shipping set by the United Nations, industry leaders say the first net-zero ships must enter the global fleet by 2030, with vessels powered by green hydrogen and its derivative compound ammonia among the options.

The coalition of groups, which includes commodities trader Trafigura, urged the European Union – one of the world’s major shipping hubs – to prioritise these two fuels as part of its draft FuelEU Maritime initiative, which seeks to boost production and use of sustainable marine energy in the bloc.

“Building on independent research, and with the knowledge that we currently have, we believe that hydrogen-based fuels will be the shipping fuels of the future,” a Trafigura spokesperson said.

Trafigura added that a global carbon levy led by the U.N. shipping agency, the IMO, was also needed “to encourage and incentivise the use of low and zero-carbon fuels”.

IMO discussions though are still at an early stage.

A European Commission spokesperson said it was assessing the different policy options as part of FuelEU Maritime and planned to present a proposal in the second quarter of this year.

Green hydrogen, made from electrolysis to split water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity from renewable energy, is emissions free. But it is expensive and less dense than other fuels, meaning more onboard fuel storage capacity is needed.

Other projects anticipate using hydrogen to make other products, such as ammonia, to improve viability.

A study conducted for the non-profit Getting to Zero project showed this week that zero-emissions fuels need to make up 5% of international shipping’s energy mix by 2030 to ensure the sector’s decarbonisation is in line with the Paris accord’s climate goals.

Others seeking more EU help with hydrogen and ammonia are shipping companies CMB, DFDS, Torvald Klaveness, Viking Cruises, trade association Hydrogen Europe, ship certifier Lloyd’s Register and green group Transport & Environment.

Source: reuters.com

Strengthening the Participation of Women and Girls in Ocean Science to Achieve the SDGs

By SalM on March 18, 2021 in News Articles

Science, technology and innovation are fundamental to address global challenges such as poverty eradication, economic and social development and the protection of the environment. They are also critical for the achievement of the Goals and targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The vital role of women in contributing to these global objectives is well established and has been repeatedly reaffirmed by governments and at key United Nations conferences and meetings, from the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women in 1979, to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995, and the Dakar Framework for Action in 2000.

Over the last decade, we have also seen the adoption of the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society in 2005 and the agreed conclusions of the Commission on the Status of Women in 2011, along with the UN Resolution on Science, Technology and Innovation for Development in 2013, and more recently, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015.

Although many initiatives have been adopted at the global, regional and national levels to advance opportunities for women in emerging sectors such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and the Blue Economy, the participation of women from Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS) remains low in these sectors. More efforts must be mobilized to enhance their participation.

According to UNESCO, women today account for only 38% of the world’s researchers in ocean science, and the rate is even lower for women from developing countries.

Recognizing the benefits of fully including women in ocean science to development progress, the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has launched a Voluntary Commitment to increase women’s participation through capacity-building opportunities and enhance the scientific and technological capabilities of developing States – pledged at the 2017 UN Ocean Conference in New York (#OceanAction15467).

ISA has a clear vision of women from developing States playing a central role in marine scientific research, with the impacts reaching far beyond the sphere of ocean science. To achieve this goal, ISA is investing in innovative and practical capacity development programmes to improve the participation of women in ocean science, and particularly in deep-sea research.

Since the 2017 UN Ocean Conference, ISA has significantly increased opportunities for women scientists from developing States to benefit from unique tailored trainings in deep-sea research. In just three years, almost 50 women have taken part in the Contractor Training Programme implemented by ISA under the requirements set out by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea for exploration contractors undertaking activities in the international seabed area.

Source: sdg.iisd.org

The Cost of Saving Oceans

By SalM on March 17, 2021 in News Articles

In 2015, 193 countries agreed on 17 global objectives for ending poverty and protecting the environment by 2030. These Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) included SDG 14, to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.”

A new study by two former diplomats with the CONOW Competence Centre for International Relations published in the journal Marine Policy estimates that to hit the targets needed to achieve this SDG the world must spend US$175 billion per year.

Reducing marine pollution will take more than half the money needed, according to the paper. At over USD$90 billion, that cost includes programs to clean up ocean trash, better manage waste and improve wastewater treatment plants. It also means investing in research on biodegradable plastics, all while working to limit plastic pollution of any kind in the first place.

About one-fifth of the needed funding, the researchers say, is for protecting and restoring wetland ecosystems, coastal habitats, coral reefs and other environments. For wetlands, that could entail setting aside new areas under the Ramsar Convention, an international treaty that aims to conserve wetland wildlife and ecosystem services.

For seaside ecosystems, it could mean investments in integrated coastal management. This approach brings together scientists, managers, community members and other stakeholders to cooperate on unified oversight and administration of activities in coastal areas, aiming to balance competing interests for sustainable development — all while prioritizing the preservation of biological resources and ecosystems.

Other priorities, the study says, are promoting sustainable fishing, directing resources to low-income island countries, supporting efforts to manage fisheries and fight pollution, and dealing with climate change, which acidifies oceans.

To estimate the price tag for achieving the goal, the researchers drew heavily from a 2012 report by countries involved in the Convention on Biological Diversity, an international conservation treaty. The authors adjusted the report’s marine conservation cost estimates for inflation, while noting the high degree of uncertainty for some of the estimates.

Can we make these big investments? While the data are hazy, the researchers estimated that the money pledged right now for ocean conservation totals just about US$25 billion yearly. If that uncertain estimate is correct, it leaves an annual funding gap of around US$150 billion.

At the United Nations’ first Ocean Conference in 2017, 44% of commitments to take action on SDG 14 came from governments, while 20% came from non-governmental organizations. Businesses promised just 8%.

The biggest commitment was from the European Investment Bank, which committed US$8 billion to help small, developing island nations become less vulnerable to climate change.

To bring the needed funding and urgency to SDG 14, the researchers issue 10 recommendations:

1. Acknowledge how wasteful lifestyles mar our oceans, then shift our culture and consumption in a more sustainable direction.  “For too long we have taken nature for granted, and this needs to stop,” the study states.
2. Keep SDG 14 on local and international political agendas. The last few years have seen more attention, which is a good development — if it continues.
3. Invest in institutions that can implement ocean solutions, particularly in developing countries.
4. Put effort into developing knowledge and technology that builds the capacity to protect ocean health.
5. Target spending better. This could be accomplished in part by ending the some US$20 billion in harmful subsidies to fisheries. At the same time, decision-makers should bring the SDG 14 targets into more development and environmental policymaking.
6. Scale up traditional funding. Most of the money spent on biodiversity efforts, the report says, come from national governments and international organizations, which could mean big impact if these states and groups up their contributions even further.
7. Engage the private sector. Businesses might help do their part by paying for ecosystem services or investing in financial innovations like blue bonds.
8. Get more money from philanthropists, who the research estimates currently contribute just US$1 billion per year to ocean health.
9. Support trust funds dedicated to ocean conservation.
10. Coordinate overall financial efforts for SDG 14 by working for sustainable ocean financing.

“Our Ocean is vital for our ecosystem and for our economy,” the researchers write. “It provides us with most of the oxygen that we breathe, water that we drink… and is the foundation for an economic activity estimated at around US$3 trillion per year.” Given that reality, the price tag of saving the seas seems worth it.

Source: ensia.com

Connecting to the oceans: supporting ocean literacy and public engagement

By SalM on March 16, 2021 in News Articles

Improved public understanding of the ocean and the importance of sustainable ocean use, or ocean literacy, is essential for achieving global commitments to sustainable development by 2030 and beyond. However, growing human populations (particularly in mega-cities), urbanisation and socio-economic disparity threaten opportunities for people to engage and connect directly with ocean environments. Thus, a major challenge in engaging the whole of society in achieving ocean sustainability by 2030 is to develop strategies to improve societal connections to the ocean. The concept of ocean literacy reflects public understanding of the ocean, but is also an indication of connections to, and attitudes and behaviours towards, the ocean. Improving and progressing global ocean literacy has potential to catalyse the behaviour changes necessary for achieving a sustainable future. Using examples from the literature, we outline the potential for positive change towards a sustainable future based on knowledge that already exists. We focus on four drivers that can influence and improve ocean literacy and societal connections to the ocean:  education,  cultural connections,  technological developments, and  knowledge exchange and science-policy interconnections. We explore how each driver plays a role in improving perceptions of the ocean to engender more widespread societal support for effective ocean management and conservation. In doing so, we develop an ocean literacy toolkit, a practical resource for enhancing ocean connections across a broad range of contexts worldwide.

To date, the ocean literacy movement has primarily been driven by scientists and educators whose work is associated with marine science . However, as outlined above, ocean literacy is a challenge and opportunity for all parts of society, including educators, children and adults, wider community groups, scientists, consumers and policy/decision-makers , and there is a resulting need for more inclusive approaches to marine science and decision-making. Ocean literacy is founded upon knowledge sharing and learning and thus, relies on the communication of accessible and up-to-date marine science information ). It is no longer enough to ‘simply do the science and publish an academic paper’ , and the science communication efforts and initiatives that many authors of this collaborative paper have contributed to  exemplify the need and possibility of developing and sharing research further to achieve community and policy impact outside of ‘the Ivory Tower’. Scientists can also communicate research in indirect ways, such as supporting citizen science projects that increase community trust in science and conservation, engaging with remote learners in ocean-focused massive open online courses (MOOCs) , or by collaborating with ‘ocean champions’, community leaders or celebrities who can deliver marine science messages to wider audiences.