Improving Ocean Climate Action: Reflections from UN Climate Change SB60

From June 3-13, 2024, international delegates and climate advocates gathered from around the world in Bonn, Germany to attend the annual Subsidiary Body Sessions of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)—commonly known as the June UN Climate Meetings (or SB60). 

The goal? Advance progress and negotiate agreements to address the global challenges of climate change.

During the SB Sessions is the annual Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue (OCD)—a two-day session where conference Parties and Observers discuss how to strengthen ocean-based action, with a focus on improved Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), and cohesion between commitments across other multilateral fora. The first OCD was mandated by COP25 and has been held annually during the June SB Sessions since 2022.

Throughout SB60, more than seven representatives from SOA’s community were on the ground in Germany to demand climate action, ensure the ocean is valued in critical discussions, and bring young perspectives to the table. This year, Sustainable Ocean Alliance sponsored three young ocean leaders to attend SB60’s OCD: Mark Haver (U.S.), Joshua Joseph Pangelinan (Federated States of Micronesia), and Ela Gokcigdem (Türkiye). 

Below, get to know SOA’s SB60 Delegation and read their reflections as they share their insights into why these meetings are important in enhancing ocean-climate action.

MEET MARK

Mark Haver is an ocean and climate advocate from the United States. He got his start with SOA as the organization’s Inaugural Chair of the Youth Policy Advisory Council (YPAC), where he brought young ocean policy professionals together to create the Global Blue New Deal—an ocean policy call-to-action framework. 

Mark has a long history of engagement with the UNFCCC and at COP where he has led SOA’s delegations for COP26, COP27, and COP28 since 2021. He has spoken on panels hosted by the Chilean Government, the Scottish Government, the UN High Level Climate Champions, and organizational partners about SOA’s policy work related to the Global Blue New Deal and our Campaign Against Deep-Sea Mining. He also spoke at the plenary of the first-ever OCD and moderated the second Dialogue in person during the UNFCCC’s semiannual SB intercessions.  

MEET JOSHUA

Hailing from the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Joshua Joseph Pangelinan is a young professional focused on scaling up the blue economy and enhancing access to bilateral and multilateral climate finance for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). 

As an ocean-climate specialist, he aims to support country-driven climate action in line with NDCs under the UN Paris Agreement. In 2021, Joshua joined SOA to assist in the launch of the Unmasking Plastics Program and provided strategic research and policy solutions to aid in the development of the Global Blue New Deal. He has also developed profiles of Pacific Island Countries (PICS) with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to provide inputs and recommendations on the blue economy sector to inform the Blue Pacific Continent Strategy for 2050.

As of recently, Joshua served as a delegate for the FSM at COP28 Dubai covering topics and supporting negotiations on climate finance. He was also selected as a Youth Delegate for the 2024 Our Ocean Youth Leadership Summit in Athens, Greece, where he participated in a high-level roundtable event with country leaders to discuss marine spatial planning activities and youth participation in the blue economy. 

Currently, he works with the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP) where he focuses on Article 2.1(c) and Article 13, promoting and strengthening climate finance transparency through the use of tracking methodologies and taxonomies in the country context to help accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

MEET ELA

Ela Gokcigdem is a Turkish-American blue economy specialist focusing on economic resilience in island communities. She is the youngest leader in the Turkish Ministry of Environment's Blue Economy Taskforce and the Representative of Türkiye for the SOA's Youth Policy Advisory Council (2021-2022). 

At UN Conferences, Ela has been a strong advocate for international collaboration on the restoration of Türkiye's beloved Marmara Sea. Inspired by her experiences in Avsa, Türkiye, Ela created Bloom, the first small-scale algal conversion mechanism designed for coastal communities to address endemic algal blooms without government intervention. Bloom won the Monaco Ocean Protection Challenge and was a COP28 Climate Technology Accelerator Top 100 Startup. Ela recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Babson College and plans to pursue a Masters in International Development Studies at the Geneva Graduate Institute. 

Currently in Bermuda, Ela is developing the Young Leaders in Ocean Governance (YLOG) program, the first cohort-based ocean affairs training program for island youth. This program, in collaboration with the Bermuda Government, aims to create a global pipeline of young blue economy professionals.

Why are the June UN Climate Meetings Important? 

While the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) receives much more global media attention, the annual SB sessions are just as important. They play a critical role in continuing negotiations that may have not been finished at previous COPs in addition to setting the agenda for upcoming COPs.

The OCD at SB60 is particularly special. Ocean-climate solutions can deliver up to a 35% reduction in the global carbon emissions gap. While the ocean is an underrecognized and underfunded solution to climate change, it is impacted by a changing climate as well. The OCD is an opportunity to emphasize just how important the ocean-climate nexus is and offers participating nations a better understanding of how they can include the ocean in their national commitments.

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By COP30 in 2025, countries must update their NDCs. We can leverage the OCD and COP29 to encourage countries to include more ocean-based mitigation and adaptation plans in their national commitments, like NDCs and NAPs, and dissolve the ocean-climate silo. Not only are NDCs and NAPs important as a roadmap for climate action, but they also signal where investment in mitigation and adaptation can be most effective. When the ocean becomes more included in national communications, ocean-climate action and investment strengthen.

What Can We Expect from COP29?

Although there have been more expectations placed on COP30 (Brazil), COP29 (Azerbaijan) is just as crucial and cannot be ignored. 

COP29 will focus negotiations on climate finance. The recent SB60 marked the midway point for Parties in defining the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) on climate finance, which is set to replace the $100 billion USD commitment of developed countries channeling financial support to developing nations, inclusive of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and SIDS. The negotiations surrounding the new global climate finance goal will be key in setting the thresholds for financing mitigation and adaptation activities, among other elements. The finalization of the NCQG is underway and Parties are expected to reach a collective agreement by the end of COP29.

As Parties continue to seek ways to integrate the ocean-related components into the UNFCCC processes, it is essential that the outcomes of the OCD are taken into consideration in the lead-up to COP29.

The SB60 OCD highlighted the importance of mobilizing private finance to support blue economy development, spanning sectors such as maritime infrastructure, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and cautious oversight of extractive industries such as deep-sea mining. The OCD also uncovered polarized opinions with respect to marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). We can expect to see many of these topics discussed at COP29 and future OCDs. 

The NCQG negotiations at SB60 presented a critical opportunity to enhance financial support for climate action in developing countries, with a limited emphasis on ocean-specific financing. 

The NCQG provided a baseline roadmap of attainable goals for the financial and insurance industries to facilitate the rapid deployment of climate investments, especially with respect to renewable energy. For example, as the world has observed the catastrophic impacts of Hurricane Beryl on the Caribbean and Gulf regions, it is imperative that financial mechanisms be mobilized to support adaptation, mitigation, and climate resilience for frontline communities. It will be crucial to cooperate with the insurance sectors to derisk investments of this nature. The intention of the NCQG is to serve as a more streamlined and attainable channel of funds for developing countries, and we look forward to providing further insights into ocean-climate action and finance as COP29 plays out. 

Beyond COP29, there are several other international meetings this year that are critically important to ocean-climate action. Last month, countries gathered in Kingston, Jamaica for the most important meeting at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) yet. The election of the new ISA Secretary-General, Leticia Carvalho, has the potential to redefine how the ISA approaches its dual mandate to steward marine ecosystems and discuss mining regulations.

Additionally, the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD)—or ‘Biodiversity COP’—is meeting in Cali, Colombia this October for COP16. This will be the first Biodiversity COP since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework at COP15 in 2022. At COP16, governments will be tasked with reviewing the state of implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework. Engaging with COP16 is an opportunity to ensure that the preservation and restoration of marine and coastal ecosystems is prioritized in the global nature agenda. 

Now more than ever, cohesion across multilateral agreements is key. While action across all international policy frameworks is also critical, we cannot lose sight of the need for the UNFCCC to support ambitious climate action—with urgency.

How Can We Improve Ocean-Climate Action? 

To accelerate ocean-climate action, we can leverage the power of young people to unlock solutions and embolden advocacy efforts to ensure the ocean cannot—and will not—be ignored in climate negotiations.

Through SOA’s Ecopreneur Network and Grants Program, we’re accelerating ocean solutions that implement climate mitigation and adaptation. Through SOA’s Hubs and policy work, young people are engaging at the local, national, and international levels to align global environmental policy with the action needed to restore planetary health. 

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SOA will continue to amplify the voices of young ocean leaders at the UNFCCC meetings and beyond. Sign up to receive more information about how SOA is advancing ocean-climate action ahead of COP29 and opportunities to get involved.