Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) Director of Science, Professor Steve Widdicombe, is participating in the United Nations’ High-Level Retreat on ‘Investing in Ocean Solutions’, taking place this week (January 14 – 15) in Incheon, Republic of Korea. The retreat serves as a crucial preparatory meeting for the third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France, later this year and is focused on accelerating progress toward sustainable ocean management and conservation.
As Co-Chair of the Global Ocean Acidification Observing Network (GOA-ON) and focal point for ocean acidification under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14: Life Under Water, Professor Widdicombe is discussing progress on voluntary commitments related to ocean acidification.
The reduction in the pH of the Ocean, which occurs when seawater absorbs increasing amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems and the communities that depend on them. Target 14.3 of the Sustainable Development Goals specifically calls for minimising and addressing the impacts of ocean acidification through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels.
“While important strides have been made in understanding and identifying potential ways to mitigate the impacts of ocean acidification, there remains significant work ahead. We need enhanced research and development efforts, coupled with improved monitoring systems that span both local and global scales.” said Professor Widdicombe.
Image above: Professor Widdicombe in Korea
The two-day retreat, organized by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD), brings together leaders of Communities of Ocean Action, UNOC3 co-hosts, and key stakeholders. The event aims to review and reinvigorate efforts toward ocean sustainability, building on the foundation of over 2,100 voluntary commitments from governments, UN entities, philanthropic organisations, NGOs, and other stakeholders.
On day one, Professor Widdicombe stressed the need for much greater visibility and appreciation of the severity and urgency of the ocean acidification problem as part of his intervention on SDG 14.3:
“There (has been) a disappointingly low number of voluntary commitments for SDG14.3, ocean acidification, and also a relatively low level of funding, or resource commitment, when compared to some of the other SDG14 indicators.
Yet, in stark contrast to this, we are seeing ever greater evidence, from across the globe, that the rates of OA are accelerating, especially in coastal areas, with a number of high profile papers and reports, such as the OSPAR Quality Status Report and the IOC’s State of the Ocean report, presenting this evidence in stark detail.
Ocean acidification is one of the so-called Planetary Boundaries, and there is emerging evidence that, in many parts of the world, this boundary has been, or will soon be, breached.
So why the mismatch, still, between the urgency and severity of the problem and the limited or, in some cases completely lacking, response? Unlike plastic pollution, the over exploitation of fish stocks or the physical destruction of habitats, ocean acidification represents a largely invisible threat to many. It is a shy killer. Its impacts can often be indirect and complex to explain and observe, often playing a part within a large group of pressures. Add to this the fact that, the only truly global, long-term solution to OA is substantial CO2 emissions reductions and decarbonization, rather than locally targeted actions, such as the creation of an MPA or the restoration of a mangrove, or some of the emerging CDR ideas, then we can start to understand why entities have been seduced into focusing their efforts on more visible, lower hanging fruit.”
Professor Widdicombe’s involvement in the event, which has been made possible with support by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will also help shape broader discussions around ocean-based solutions for climate change and biodiversity loss, scientific monitoring, research priorities, and capacity development.
“Activities such as marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) and other nature-based approaches, show potential, but require further evidence to validate their effectiveness in terms of combatting climate change and biodiversity loss at scale. Furthermore, and crucially, we must strengthen capacity-building efforts to ensure a coordinated global response to these challenges. Only by continuing to improve our understanding of the marine environment can we properly evaluate and scale up potential solutions.”
The outcomes of the retreat will inform preparations for UNOC3, building on the momentum of previous ocean conferences and the ongoing work of the ‘Communities of Ocean Action (COAs)’. These communities, established following the 2017 UN Ocean Conference, are designed to advance the implementation of Voluntary Commitments and promote international cooperation on ocean conservation.
Professor Widdicombe’s participation in this week’s high-level event underscores PML’s commitment to advancing scientific understanding and developing effective solutions for Ocean challenges.
PML’s Professor Helen Findlay, who is an Executive Council member for GOA-ON, lead coordinator for the North East Atlantic Ocean Acidification (NEA-OA) regional hub of GOA-ON, and who works closely with the OSPAR Commission (which brings together 15 governments and the European Union to cooperate on protecting the marine environment across five regions of the Northeast Atlantic), added:
“We continue to work closely with a broad range of stakeholders in support of improved understanding, monitoring and mitigation of ocean acidification and its effects on marine life. One of the main discussion areas at the present time is around the importance of uniform monitoring across regions and the need to assess and align chemical and biological indicators.
Alongside partners across the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, we are focused on providing the evidence and insight that will guide marine strategies, and ultimately help ensure ocean acidification can be addressed through coordinated international action and evidence-based policy-making.”
Plymouth Marine Laboratory, 14 January 2025. Article.
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