The Executive Director of the foundation, Tiago Pitta e Cunha, shared a mixed evaluation at the 30th UN Climate Conference (COP30), taking place until Friday in Belém, Brazil.
Pitta e Cunha expressed satisfaction with the appointment of a special envoy for the Ocean in the COP30 negotiation team and the opportunity to discuss ocean-related issues with civil society contributions during the pre-COP in Brasília.
However, he noted with concern that no tangible impact of this debate has been reflected in the negotiated texts, lamenting what appears to be a “deep disagreement on almost everything in the negotiations” so far.
The foundation prioritized the creation of a dedicated agenda item exclusively for the ocean in the official COP Climate agenda, a goal that remains unachieved.
“This would bring enormous focus to the ocean,” he said. Addressing arguments that oceans are already present in climate COPs through various processes, Pitta e Cunha explained that if the issue remains scattered across numerous procedures, neither nations with small delegations nor civil society have the capacity to follow these topics effectively.
Furthermore, a dedicated ocean agenda item would enhance transparency, as currently, those knowledgeable about the ocean may not attend the meetings where the topic is addressed.
The proposal for a specific ocean agenda item was introduced by Fiji eight years ago but has yet to be realized.
As a result, Pitta e Cunha regretted that the ocean becomes “the first collateral victim” and “somewhat a footnote.”
He reminded that the ocean absorbs 25% of the annual greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, emphasizing the ocean’s value.
He lamented the perception of climate change as if the atmosphere were the planet’s sole system and life support.
Despite its importance, the atmosphere relies on the planet’s two major life support systems: the biosphere and the hydrosphere.
“We only have these gases in the atmosphere that allow us to breathe because the biosphere and hydrosphere allow for an atmosphere on the planet. Both the biosphere and hydrosphere are highly biological, comprising mainly the biomass and biodiversity found in the ocean,” he added, stressing that 80% of the planet’s biodiversity is in the ocean, not on land.
“It’s in this context that we believe the ocean must have greater prominence at the negotiation table.”
