The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography have teamed up to bring the world’s oceans to the fore at the next Conference of the Parties event.
COP28 will occur between November 30 and December 12, 2023, in Dubai, UAE. It features heads of state and leaders from 197 countries.
The Ocean Pavilion will return to the event to highlight the needs of the world’s oceans and what can be done to secure their futures. The Pavilion will host over 80 events during the conference and will cover an enormously diverse range of topics, from climate change and rising sea levels to the blue economy and the living ocean.
According to WHOI President and Director Peter de Menocal:
“We live on an ocean planet and the ocean is central to climate resilience and mitigation. In 2023, we experienced some of the greatest ocean and weather extremes ever recorded, underscoring the urgency of science-based decisions to protect people and the ocean ecosystems upon which we all rely. Accelerated scientific research and ocean observing innovation must lead the way to protect the health and future of our planet.”
While Margaret Leinen, the vice chancellor for marine sciences at UC San Diego and director of Scripps Oceanography, added:
“Recent ocean observations show that the oceans have absorbed a shocking amount of heat energy that will affect climate and ocean ecosystems for decades to come. We must have the capability to monitor ocean conditions if we are to understand what society and indeed, all life on Earth, is up against. It is simply not an option anymore for climate negotiators from the international community to think of ocean monitoring and protection as a mere consideration. It is now an imperative. The Ocean Pavilion is designed to make negotiators aware of this and to provide them with the evidence of these climate risks.”
