Seas At Risk at the ongoing COP31 summit called for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gases (GHG) and black carbon in order to protect marine ecosystems and accelerate a just transition from fossil fuels in maritime transport.
According to recent scientific reports, such as the greenhouse gas emissions gap report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), a serious warning has been issued that exceeding the 1.5 degrees Celsius warming threshold of the Paris Agreement is now inevitable. However, the extent and duration of warming depend on the right choices made by governments today.
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Temperature Rise Risks for Oceans
The ocean is one of our largest allies in the fight against climate change, absorbing about 90 percent of the excess heat trapped by GHG, which helps regulate the Earth's climate. However, this comes at a high cost: rising temperatures, marine heatwaves, acidification, and increasing pressure on marine biodiversity. Every fraction of a degree of warming increases these risks, and even if global temperatures return to 1.5 degrees, some damage to the marine environment may be irreversible.
Practical Action at COP31
The COP31 summit must translate into action, not just aspirations. Governments must turn their commitments into real reductions in emissions across all sectors, including maritime transport. Current climate policies are steering the world towards dangerous levels of warming. Even very ambitious pathways temporarily exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius and depend on severe reductions in emissions and the use of clean fuels and technologies.
Seas At Risk also referred to the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) net-zero framework, which is set to be adopted in April 2025, as a critical opportunity for climate action in the maritime transport sector. This framework includes standards for the intensity of greenhouse gas fuels and economic mechanisms that can accelerate the transition to cleaner energy and strengthen international cooperation.
Anaz Rios, Senior Policy Officer at Seas At Risk, emphasizes: "Every fraction of a degree of warming carries the risk of significant and irreversible harm to the ocean and its ecosystems. At COP31, world leaders must turn promises into action and eliminate fossil fuels from every sector, including maritime transport, to protect the ocean that protects us from climate change."
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