Graphic courtesy of Climate Champions.
The world is gathered in Dubai for the 28thth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, also known as COP28. For two weeks, government delegations meet to negotiate the actions the world must take to reach an agreement. future under 1.5 degrees. This will set the tone for government action and help guide policies aimed at achieving the ambitions of the Paris Agreement.
Very often, these negotiations dominate the media headlines: who supports a specific proposal, who strongly opposes it and disagreements arise in plenary! How non-party actors, that is, the rest of the world, including civil society, the private sector, philanthropies, academia, indigenous peoples, local communities and youth, are activated at the COP and in support of the Paris Agreement is less discussed. Playing a very crucial role, non-state actors lead action on the ground and motivate movements around the world to support climate action.
THE Marrakech Partnership for Global Climate Action (MP-GCA) is an example of a non-state actor effort launched by the High Level Champions for Climate Change. Conceived as an idea at COP21 and established at COP22, MP-GCA is a cooperation between non-stakeholder stakeholders and governments “that aims to support the immediate implementation of increased climate action, consistent with the achievement of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and to foster greater ambition over time mitigation, adaptation and provision of finance”, technology and capacity building in developing countries.
To put it succinctly: how non-stakeholders can advance climate ambitions by capturing and tracking voluntary efforts to ultimately understand global initiatives towards reaching 1.5 degrees.
The MP-GCA is organized into seven thematic areas to drive action in these critical sectors: land use, water, human settlements, transportation, energy, industry, and ocean and coastal areas . For COP-28, each MP-GCA will launch a series of progress towards 2030 to catalyze mitigation and adaptation efforts that enable people and nature to thrive.
In the ocean and coastal sector, five advances have been identified as “transformation pathways where accelerated action and investment could reduce greenhouse gas emissions by up to 35% and contribute to a resilient future, nature-friendly and net zero emissions by 2050.”
I am delighted to have co-led the aquatic food sector breakthrough in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Together with FAO, we have defined the following aquatic food breakthrough for 2030:
- By 2030, provide at least $4 billion annually to support resilient aquatic food systems that contribute to healthy, regenerative ecosystems and maintain food and nutrition security for three billion people.
We believe this major breakthrough can help advance not only climate ambitions, but also commitments to biodiversity under the Global Biodiversity Framework and to the health and well-being of communities around the world. It is vital to elevate this topic on the global stage, as climate-related measures are largely absent from fisheries and aquaculture policy and management and minimal climate finance is dedicated to food systems (less than 4 %!) – although food systems represent a third of needs. greenhouse gas emissions and is the main cause of global biodiversity loss.
Non-state actors have a crucial role to play in this progress. From the private sector supporting the transition to low-carbon production methods, to academia supporting the development of scientific methods to improve climate-resilient management of blue food resources, to communities leading the transformation on the ground , stakeholders can contribute in many ways. to realize this vision.
We hope you can join us too and welcome you all to follow the progress at COP28 on blue foods. If you are in Dubai, we encourage you to attend the events below to learn more about the Marrakech Partnership and the 2030 Aquafood Breakthrough. If you are unable to join in person, live streaming and video recordings will be available.
High-level ocean event: Driving ocean progress through 100% sustainable ocean management
- December 9, 2023, 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. (UTC+04:00)
- WCAS Theater
- This high-level event will highlight countries’ commitments to the goal of 100% sustainable ocean management and present concrete actions supporting the implementation of ocean advances.
Day of action for nature, land use planning and oceans: “Nature first: from land to ocean, our best ally for climate action”
- December 9, 2023 – 10:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. (UTC+04:00)
- Climate Action Zone
- This Marrakech Partnership event will highlight how the entire natural system, from land to ocean, is the fundamental pillar of life on Earth and must be at the center of climate action for a resilient, net zero emissions world and positive for biodiversity.
Marrakech Partnership Implementation Laboratory: Food and Aquatic Protein Transition
- December 10, 2023 – 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. (UTC+04:00)
- Laboratory 1 (Al Shaheen)
- This event will bring together civil society, private sector champions and policy makers to discuss actions needed to expand the contribution of alternative proteins and aquatic food systems to climate, food security and nutrition, recognizing that a Food system transformation focused exclusively on climate benefits will neglect or even worsen impacts related to biodiversity, water, air and human health.
