“There are already several countries advocating for targets and commitments to include ocean-based activities,” said Maria da Graça Carvalho, highlighting the potential for carbon dioxide absorbed by oceans and marine protection efforts to be counted in the nationally determined contributions (NDCs) that countries must submit. Portugal has now decided to join this group.
The decision, which also involved the Ministry of Agriculture and the Sea and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, can only take effect when all 27 EU member states agree. Currently, in addition to Portugal, only France and Belgium from the EU have joined, the official explained at the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30), in Belém, Brazil.
“For Portugal, it would be very beneficial for the CO2 absorbed by the sea or marine protection activities to be included in our climate commitments because we indeed have a significant ocean dimension,” she stated.
This announcement comes with the launch of the “Ocean Taskforce” by France and Brazil, aiming to integrate ocean-based solutions into national climate plans.
The working group includes Brazil, France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Cambodia, Chile, Fiji, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Palau, Seychelles, and Singapore.
A statement released today notes that nine out of ten countries already incorporate ocean measures into their national climate plans, indicating that “the push for ocean-based climate action is stronger than ever.”
However, the Portuguese minister acknowledged the challenges: “The ocean, which seems very straightforward and agreeable, was one of the most difficult topics to negotiate at the European Parliament level.”
This is because landlocked countries have different priorities.
Since COP26 in Glasgow in 2021, the link between the ocean and climate has been discussed, but no presidency has yet made oceans an official topic at climate change conferences.
Technical issues, like the need for certified contributions, pose additional challenges. “We need extensive data and have to calculate how much CO2 the ocean absorbs in our region,” she explained.
Despite this, Portugal will proceed with this work even before the ocean inclusion in NDCs becomes official.
“We have numerous scientists in this field, so we will start developing a voluntary blue carbon market, as a first step, to prepare for this,” she said.
The ‘Ocean Taskforce’ statement indicates that the efforts of countries in the oceans are backed by strong economic and scientific data.
Research suggests that applying ocean-based climate solutions, such as reducing marine fossil fuel extraction, decarbonizing maritime transport, or increasing the number of protected marine areas, could contribute up to 35% of the emission reductions needed to keep the global temperature rise within 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
COP30 began last week in the city of Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon, and is expected to conclude on Friday.
