Workshop: Is the Paris Agreement Good News for the Ocean?

This workshop is being organized by the Division of Environment and Ocean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Chile and the National Geographic Society. It will seek to build on the momentum generated with the “Because the Ocean” initiative that took place during the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which concluded with the adoption of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

This workshop will bring together the ocean and climate communities, including representatives from governments, climate change negotiators, scientists and civil society, to identify challenges related to including the ocean in the UNFCCC agenda and to develop an action plan for addressing ocean-related issues through the climate action to take place under the Paris Agreement. The objectives of the workshop include creating a multidisciplinary core group to explore ways to address climate-ocean issues at the UNFCCC and building a strategy for COP22, including content for a possible second “Because the Ocean” declaration. This full-day workshop will also seek to develop a report for the Third Our Ocean Conference’s session on Climate and Ocean. The Third Our Ocean Conference will convene in Washington, DC, from 15-16 September.