The ocean is critical for achieving the climate mitigation and adaptation objectives of the 29th Conference of the UNFCCC Parties. It is the planet’s largest carbon sink and currently absorbs nearly one-quarter to one-third of human-caused carbon dioxide emissions and 90% of heat generated by anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. For that reason, ocean-based climate solutions can offer significant opportunities to keep the crucial 1.5°C target within reach.

Only by more fully monitoring the ocean will it be possible to predict future warming and assess the needed emissions reductions and any potential removal methods. This will be critical in the design of effective and achievable Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Our ability to meet these goals will determine the magnitude and rate of necessary adaptation to factors such as sea-level rise, increasing atmosphere and ocean temperatures, changes to the hydrological cycle, trends in ocean acidification and deoxygenation, ecosystem and biodiversity declines, and severe weather events. For this reason, the ocean is also key to developing effective National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) to protect and support communities, marine life, and infrastructure worldwide.

Building and promoting effective, transparent, and equitable climate finance mechanisms at scale and new, cooperative approaches to climate mitigation and adaptation are central to a blue economy that ensures healthy marine ecosystems, sustainable use of marine resources, and a prosperous future for all. A healthy blue economy will also help address the loss and damage that some have already experienced and that will occur as a result of unavoidable change.

Existing programs, such as the 56 endorsed programs under the auspices of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, 2021-2030 and the roughly 120,000 daily ocean observations provided by the Global Ocean Observing System, have greatly motivated ocean research and provided an unprecedented flow of data to support the sustainability, conservation, and protection of marine ecosystems and coastal and island communities. However, important data gaps remain in our view of the ocean, making it critical to increase efforts that will allow prompt and effective action on the ocean and climate nexus. In particular, Small Island Developing States (SIDS) require significant, immediate, and accessible financial investment, capacity building, and technology transfer to support ocean-based mitigation and adaptation efforts that can address ongoing loss and damage to marine and coastal ecosystems.

Observing systems in polar regions and the open and deep ocean require significant development and enhanced financing to address and monitor the disproportionate effects of climate change. To monitor the ocean’s physical, chemical, and biological health as well as changes to foundational ocean ecosystems, these regions necessitate dedicated investments in observational platforms and tools such as polar-going research vessels, ice-adapted autonomous vehicles and moored sensors, and Deep Argo and Biogeochemical Argo profiling floats. Many other needs also exist to make observation technology more pervasive, cost-effective, and durable, and the resulting data more findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR).

To achieve these goals, we call upon all countries, relevant organizations, and private-sector actors to make robust, long-term investments in ocean observations, research, and mapping. This is a foundational requirement to synergistically address the objectives set forth by the climate, biodiversity, and desertification COPs. The return on investment from ocean observations is already helping to better predict short- and long-term climate trends, protect global biodiversity, and safeguard freshwater supplies. For this reason, the most recent State of the Ocean Report by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO calls for an increase in capacity to quantitatively represent the ocean, paving the way towards objective, knowledge-based decisions to ensure the well-being and prosperity of all.

In particular, the global community should prioritize ocean-based actions that will support progress toward priorities shared by the climate, biodiversity, and desertification COPs, including:

Expand international collaboration: Marine ecosystems and processes know no borders, and neither should efforts to achieve progress in addressing the Earth’s climate, biodiversity, and freshwater crises. International cooperation built on ethical, transparent research is essential to make effective, coordinated investments and to equitably share knowledge, resources, and expertise.

Enhance public and private funding: Greater effort is needed to scale-up and diversify support of long-term ocean observation, research, and innovation for decision-making. Governments, private-sector actors, and philanthropies must increase investments in research, ocean-going research vessels, innovation, and technology transfer, as well as the social dimensions of ocean science that facilitate the uptake and use of information to support marine biodiversity conservation and coastal resilience, including through community level efforts and ocean energy technology.

Build capacity and access: We must build the capacity of scientists, researchers, communities, and policymakers, particularly in SIDS, low-lying coastal regions, and other under-represented people and places to further develop ocean data, knowledge, and innovation. We must also improve access to technology and data to make the best possible use of ocean insights and innovation being generated around the world, including Indigenous and traditional knowledge.

Improve awareness of the ocean’s role in planetary systems: Raising public understanding and appreciation of the ocean’s importance and the need for its preservation is a vital step towards mobilizing decision-makers to prioritize ocean protection and restoration. Educational programs, outreach initiatives, and media campaigns to raise ocean literacy across diverse populations, inspire the next generation of ocean leaders, and foster collective action to safeguard our ocean planet must become more widespread, accessible, and commonplace.

Making these investments in knowledge about the ocean is not an option—it is necessary to the long-term sustainability of human society. Our ocean is a lifeline for the planet, and understanding its complexities is key to meeting the interconnected challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss, and desertification. As leaders in ocean science, policy, and engineering, we have the responsibility to take actions that pave the way for a sustainable, resilient future for all people and communities, no matter how far from the ocean they may be. Let us commit to this vital cause to protect our ocean and work together to unlock the full potential of the ocean for the benefit of all humanity.