Governments and civil-society organizations from around the world recently gathered in Nice, France, for the United Nations Ocean Conference. The third such meeting since 2017, the UNOC came at a time when countries are also finalizing their updated Nationally Determined Contributions (decarbonization plans) as required under the Paris climate agreement.
The timing was fitting, because changes in our oceans have become a familiar barometer for the severity of the climate crisis. Vibrant, technicolor coral reefs, once bursting with life, are being bleached ghostly pale by warming, acidic waters. Island populations, such as the inhabitants of the largest of Panama’s Carti Islands, are being forced to abandon their homes in the face of rising sea levels. And many coastal communities, often some of the poorest in the world, are being ravaged by increasingly severe cyclones.
As the ones on the front line, small island developing states are also leading sources of climate innovation. We have become test beds for solutions that can guide action globally. From our perspective, the ocean is not just a symptom of a changing climate, but also a major part of the solution.
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