The Ocean Pavilion Returns to International Climate Conference for a Third Year

Article Content

More than a dozen of the world’s leading ocean scientific, philanthropic, and other stakeholder organizations, led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, return to represent ocean issues at the world’s largest climate negotiation, the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) in Baku, Azerbaijan, from Nov. 11-22, 2024. 

The United Nations-led conference will draw heads of state, national negotiators and non-governmental organizations to build consensus and facilitate progress on climate action among 197 countries and the European Union. Toward the end of a year marked by catastrophic cyclones and hurricanes and alarming news about the extent of ocean warming, pavilion partners seek to bring the importance of robust observations of ocean conditions and potential for technological remedies to the attention of policymakers.

The Ocean Pavilion will continue to highlight the fundamental role of our ocean in climate and serve as the central hub for conference delegates to exchange ideas on addressing the climate crisis by leveraging ocean science and solutions. Throughout the two-week conference, the pavilion will feature 60 presentations, keynote addresses, and in-depth discussions that elaborate on a set of conference themes, including Ocean Solutions and Innovation, Blue Economy and Finance, and Ocean Justice and Equity. Visitors to the pavilion will also be able to learn more about the work of Ocean Pavilion partners and to speak with scientists, thought leaders, and students engaged in the search for solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

This year, COP29 coincides with biannual conferences of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, beginning Oct. 21, and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, taking place in December. Ocean Pavilion leaders stressed that the ocean will figure prominently in the objectives of all three international gatherings, but at present, there is still a substantial shortfall in the quantity of ocean observations needed to fill important data gaps essential for better predicting sea-level rise, increasing atmosphere and ocean temperatures, changes to precipitation patterns, trends in ocean acidification and deoxygenation, ecosystem and biodiversity declines, and severe weather events. 

“The ocean affects everyone, everywhere, every minute of every day,” said WHOI President and Director Peter de Menocal. “It is central to life on Earth and, if we proceed carefully and with science leading the way, the ocean can also help us address the most pressing challenges of our time. Only by understanding the ocean can we chart a path to a safe, sustainable, and prosperous future for all.”

Scripps Oceanography will send a contingent of scientists and students to COP29 to present on ocean research. Travel for Scripps Oceanography students is supported by Logitech, a global company that designs technology for working, creating and gaming, and is committed to sustainable practices. 

“There can be no doubt that what takes place in the ocean influences biodiversity and desertification on land as a consequence of climate change,” said Scripps Oceanography Director Margaret Leinen. “Despite that, the number of scientific observations made of the oceans is vastly smaller than the information we gather every day on land, even though the ocean covers nearly three-fourths of the planet. We must get to a better understanding of the ocean if we are to truly know how to confront climate change, biodiversity and desertification. We can’t afford to probe the ocean on shoestring budgets. They must become a higher societal priority.”

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the world's highest decision-making body on climate issues and its annual Conference of the Parties is one of the largest international meetings in the world. The meeting is the sole venue at which world leaders and climate experts from nearly 200 countries, as well as experts and leaders in industry, trade, transportation, finance, labor, and more convene on the shared mission of meeting the commitments made under the Paris Agreement. Under that 2015 pact, countries pledged to collectively cut their greenhouse gas emissions enough to keep the planet from warming by no more than 1.5–2°C (2.7–3.6°F) relative to pre-industrial times. Negotiations have yielded the greatest global consensus on any topic in human history.

COP29 has been dubbed the “finance COP” with its expected emphasis on matching contributions from developed countries sufficient to meet the financing needed to establish clean energy infrastructure, especially in least developed countries. In addition, COP negotiators will revive efforts to make carbon markets more effective. Such markets are intended to provide a means for heavy greenhouse gas emitters to subsidize a transition to clean energy via the purchase of credits. 

Besides activities at the Ocean Pavilion, member partners will also host an official side event at the COP29 venue in Baku Stadium. Organizations will present “Three COPs, One Ocean” on Nov. 20, which will address the central role that oceans play not just in COP29 talks but at two other United Nations summits taking place in 2024 that address global biodiversity and desertification.

The list of international partners at the Ocean Pavilion includes a diverse collection of global leaders in a wide range of sectors from around the world. In addition to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Ocean Pavilion partners include Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI), American Geophysical Union (AGU), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Fugro, GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR), The Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Ocean and Climate Platform (OCP) , Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) / Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner (OPOC), Global ONCE, National Oceanography Centre (NOC), and Marine Hazards Mitigation Center (MHMC). 

More information about the Ocean Pavilion and COP29 in Baku can be found on the pavilion website and by signing up to receive email updates from COP29.

Learn more about research and education at UC San Diego in: Climate Change