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The outcome of the  2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP28,  held from 30 November until 12 December 2023, left many unsatisfied. While COP28 was the first COP where Parties agreed to transition away from fossil fuels, there were several loopholes. As outlined in the Alliance for Small Island States (AOSIS) statement, the change is seen by many as incremental and not transformative. This also echoes other constituencies of SIDS, including CARICOM, where the ocean and the climate justice imperative of SIDS in the Caribbean presented a unified front in advance of the COP.  

While many were unsatisfied as not all expectations were met, the outcomes of COP28 also provided an unprecedented recognition of the role of the ocean in climate action and the need to strengthen action. 

Breakthroughs and International Commitments 

During the run-up to the summit, 130 representatives signed up for the Dubai Ocean Declaration. In addition to operationalizing the Loss and Damage Fund and including text on “transitioning away from fossil fuels”, the COP convened ocean leaders from around the world. 

Currently, 70 percent of new or updated Nationally Determined Contributions incorporate at least one ocean-based climate measure.

Non-state actors committed to The Ocean Breakthroughs across five key ocean-related sectors. These include:

• Marine conservation: By 2030, investments of at least $72 billion secure the integrity of ocean ecosystems by protecting, restoring, and conserving at least 30% of the ocean for the benefit of people, climate, and nature.
• Shipping: By 2030, zero-emission fuels make up 5% of international shipping’s energy demand. 450,000 seafarers need to be retrained and upskilled. At least 30% of global trade needs to move through climate-adapting ports.
• Ocean renewable energy: By 2030, install at least 380 GW of offshore capacity while establishing targets and enabling measures for net-positive biodiversity outcomes and advocate for mobilizing $10bn in concessional finance for developing economies to reach that goal.
• Aquatic food: By 2030, provide at least $4bn per year to support resilient aquatic food systems that will contribute to healthy, regenerative ecosystems, and sustain the food and nutrition security for three billion people.
• Coastal tourism

The UN High Seas Treaty, which has 84 signatories, gained traction and global attention is now shifting towards its ratification. The High Seas Treaty was signed by Vanuatu, and was an important signal of small island states playing a key role in securing the 60 ratifications required to enforce the Treaty.

The Biden-Harris Administration unveiled the Ocean Justice Strategy which was the first time environmental justice and equity principles have been incorporated to ensure long-term, sustainable benefits for people, communities and the environment. Its three main goals are to Embed Ocean Justice in Federal Activities; Develop a Diverse, Equitable, Inclusive, and Accessible Federal Ocean Workforce; and Enhance Ocean Justice Through Education, Data, and Knowledge.

Headways in a Global Stocktake 

Oceans made important headway in the first-ever Global Stocktake of the Paris Agreement, where countries make an in-depth analysis of collective progress towards Paris Agreement goals. Climate justice and oceans, along with all ecosystems and protection of biodiversity, were recognized as important to address climate change.  The negotiations involved over 85,000 representatives from 198 Parties and saw the adoption of the first Global Stocktake outcome, which recognized some broad science-based and ecosystem-based approaches : 

• “Marine ecosystems act as sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gasses and by conserving biodiversity” (Article 33)
• “Invites Parties to preserve and restore oceans and coastal ecosystems and scale up, as appropriate, ocean-based mitigation action”(Article 35)
• “Notes that ecosystem-based approaches, including ocean-based adaptation and resilience measures, as well as in mountain regions, can reduce a range of climate change risks and provide multiple co-benefits” (Article 56) 
• “Welcomes the outcomes of and the informal summary report on the 2023 ocean and climate change dialogue and encourages the further strengthening of ocean-based action, as appropriate” (Art. 180) 

Deep and Wide Shortcomings 

Despite the COP28 headways, there remains no mention of inclusive and participatory ocean governance with structures where perspectives and leadership of communities, indigenous people, youth, and women in all their diversities are considered. Ocean-related conversations about food, livelihoods, sovereignty, and deep sea mining and minerals for extraction/mitigation also continue to be deeply underfunded and fraught in policy spheres. At the COP, there was notable frustration over the lack of quantitative and qualitative targets and commitments related to climate adaptation and persistent gaps in adaptation and resilience finance (Devex, 2023). 

Finally, while there was a commitment to ‘phase down’ fossil fuels, ocean warming is on track to exponentially increase in thermal temperature, which is leading to significant economic losses due to sea level rise, coastal storms, ecosystem damage, and loss of livelihoods and foodways. It is also critically important as well as recent studies showing the growing risk of ocean current collapse. There also remains no clear agreement on critical issues related to the ocean and energy transition, such as the use of new technologies for direct carbon capture or deep-sea mining. 

Mobilization of Capital and Partnerships

At COP28, the first-ever Ocean Pavilion included over 70 events, bringing awareness and dialogue to global research, practice, and projects. In spaces like this, announcements were made. The COP saw a broad range of commitments to mobilize multilateral, private, and philanthropic capital towards oceans and the critical climate-focused projects that are needed for mitigation and adaptation: 

• $186.6 million of new financing was announced for nature and climate-focused projects on Nature, Land Use, and Oceans Day.

• The Ocean Resilience and Climate Alliance (ORCA), a philanthropic initiative, seeks to provide over $250 million in grants over four years to fund ocean-climate solutions across mitigation, sequestration, adaptation, and resilience.
• The Global Mangrove Alliance and the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions (HLCs), in partnership with Systemic launched the financial roadmap for mangrove protection and restoration which outlines a pragmatic approach to channel financial flows towards mangrove conservation
• The Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) Coalition announced the mobilization of more than $200 million as an initial direct investment toward the newly established Coral Reef Breakthrough targets
• An additional 40 companies committed to a Sustainable Oceans Plan 
• The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) launched One Caribbean, a regional program aiming to promote the sustainable development of the Caribbean with a sharpened focus on high-impact initiatives

Columbia building momentum from COP28 

Columbia University's Coastal Resilience Earth Network is setting a new standard for engaging with the outcomes of COP28, focusing on actionable momentum and robust community engagement. The introduction of Coastal Clinics is a pioneering approach, allowing communities to present their challenges and engage actively with Columbia's resources and expertise, further emphasizing the university's commitment to leading by example in climate action and resilience planning. This initiative is designed to not only address immediate coastal resilience challenges but also to foster long-term, sustainable solutions through collaborative research and strategic partnerships. This approach ensures that the momentum from COP28 is not only maintained but accelerated, driving forward innovative solutions and building a more resilient future.

The Coastal Resilience Network convenes Columbia University affiliates to foster connections that can reduce risk, rebuild ecosystems, and foster culture at the water’s edge. Exchange on the latest thinking, knowledge, and dilemmas related to a topic as well as surface endeavors across the group

1. Build capacity for interdisciplinary collaboration around coastlines
2. Pilot best practices for practical action, and long-term relationship between coastal communities and Columbia
3. Inform the broad Climate School Strategy, Action Collaboratives, and partnerships

For more information, or if you are working on ocean-, coastal-, or island-related topics and would like to engage with the Coastal Resilience Earth Network, please contact network co-directors: 

Isatis Cintron-Rodriguez, Climate Justice Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Co-Director Coastal Resilience Earth Network  - [email protected]

Johanna Lovecchio, Director of Program Design for Climate Action, Co-Director Coastal Resilience Earth Network - [email protected]

Kate Orff, Faculty Director of the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes; Associate Professor of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Co-Director Coastal Resilience Earth Network - [email protected]

“There’s no thread that connects the investment [of a buyout] to something that is actually meaningful. There’s nothing that follows the dot all the way through,” says Kate Orff, faculty director of Columbia University’s Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes and the recipient of a MacArthur “genius grant” for her work on coastal adaptation. What’s needed “is a program that actually looks more synthetically at how all of these things come together.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2023-12-12/climate-migration-s-billion-dollar-question-who-manages-the-retreat?srnd=green

The 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP28, held from 30 November until 12 December 2023, will take place against a challenging backdrop as the recently published Emissions Gap Report shows that global warming is on track for up to 2.9°C. Building on the Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue that took place from 13-14 June 2023 in Bonn, Germany and the Ocean and Coastal Impact System targets of the Sharm-El Sheikh Adaptation Agenda, COP28  presents critical opportunities to scale up ocean-related mitigation and adaptation activities as it convenes ocean leaders from around the world in 70+ events as part of the first-ever Ocean Pavilion in the Blue Zone, and other actors such as the Island Innovation Network among others. 

There are 10 programming themes surrounding oceans: 1) ocean, carbon and climate connections; 2) ocean stressors, signals and warning signs; 3) ocean resources; 4) rising seas; 5) climate & the living ocean; 6) the urban ocean; 7) climate justice & empowered voices; 8) blue economy & finance; 9) ocean 2030 and 10) blue solutions & innovation.

Key expectations for COP28

1. Address interlinked issues for small island developing states (SIDS) including reforming financial architecture, and operationalising the Loss & Damage Fund 
2. Continued negotiation and discussion around climate justice, loss and damage and coastal and ocean-based communities and societies
3. Scaling up ocean-related public finance which will stimulate private market investment into nature-based solutions. These include channeling financial flows towards coastal restoration projects and natural capital, through blue carbon projects for example.
4. Recognizing and integrating the role of the blue economy and oceans throughout conversations about climate change mitigation, adaptation, as well as loss and damage
5. Recognizing the role of voluntary carbon mechanisms, specifically blue carbon projects, to offset emissions, especially as the Article 6 rulebook is negotiated

Calls to Action

COP28 Dubai Ocean Declaration - Partners of the Ocean Pavilion, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Scripps Institution of Oceanography/University of California San Diego have called on world leaders to scale up ocean observations to better understand its role in mitigation and adaptation, with a focus on capacity building in underrepresented communities.

Race to Resilience and Race to Net Zero launched ocean-related breakthroughs at previous COPs to scale up momentum for ocean-related climate action. These include:

• The Mangrove Breakthrough launched at COP27 to conserve 15 million hectares of mangroves globally by 2030
• The Coral Reef Breakthrough launched by International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) to conserve 125,000 km2 of shallow-water tropical coral reefs with investments of at least US$12 billion

Engagement opportunities

View the full agenda of ocean-related events in the Blue Zone

Sign up to the Ocean Pavilion Newsletter

Follow Island Innovation Island Voices @ COP28  and side events

Connecting back to Columbia 

For more information, or if you are at COP28 and working on ocean-, coastal-, or island-related topics and would like to engage with us or the Coastal Resilience Earth Network, please contact Coastal Resilience Earth Network Co-Directors: 

Johanna Lovecchio, Director of Program Design for Climate Action, Co-Director Coastal Resilience Earth Network - [email protected]

Isatis Cintron-Rodriguez, Climate Justice Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Co-Director Coastal Resilience Earth Network  - [email protected]

Kate Orff, Faculty Director of the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes; Associate Professor of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, Co-Director Coastal Resilience Earth Network - [email protected]

TIME named Kate Orff to the 2023 TIME 100, its annual list of the most influential people in the world.

Widely recognized as a leading voice in landscape architecture, urban design, and climate adaptation in a global context, Orff joins a class of preeminent figures in politics, technology, philanthropy, media, business, entertainment, and beyond. The full list is available on newsstands on Friday, April 14.

In her tribute, architect Jeanne Gang writes: “Kate Orff is a landscape architect who’s never been hemmed in by garden walls—seeking instead to liberate landscape to do nothing less than repair our warming planet through design … As with Rachel Carson, Kate’s ecological vision contains a larger environmental ethic to help people protect biodiversity and adapt to climate change. By rallying communities to participate in her restorative, nature-based projects, she shows us how landscape can also help repair a fractured society.”

Orff has advanced broad-front initiatives to address global issues of climate and social justice—both through practice and through research, publications, exhibitions, and education, as Director of the Urban Design program and Co-founder of the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes (CRCL) at Columbia University. She is the author of several books, including Toward an Urban Ecology (Monacelli, 2016), co-author, with photographer Richard Misrach, of Petrochemical America (Aperture, 2012), and a contributor to All We Can Save (Penguin Random House, 2020), a best-selling anthology of women climate leaders.

In 2017, Orff became the first landscape architect to receive the MacArthur Foundation’s “Genius” Fellowship. Her work has received dozens of professional awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) and a 2019 National Design Award from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. She currently serves on the Commission on Accelerating Climate Action for the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, as well as the Advisory Board for Urban Ocean Lab, a policy think tank.

Read the full tribute here.

Earlier this month, Ningaloo Coast UNESCO World Heritage site in Australia released a pioneering resilient reefs strategy that is aimed at securing the long-term conservation of the coral reef and its communities in a rapidly changing climate. The strategy takes a uniquely holistic view of the threats facing Ningaloo Reef together with the needs of local communities and businesses and proposes priority actions to support thriving, resilient ecosystems and long-term sustainability for the people who depend on the reef.

Rising temperatures, localised human impacts and seasonal visitor pressures are expected to increase at Ningaloo Coast over the coming 20-50 years. These changes are expected to coincide with marine heatwaves and increased storm and cyclone intensity over the next 20 years and rising sea level, ocean acidification and changes in ocean currents from around 2070. An economic contribution study published in 2021 illustrated that Ningaloo Coast World Heritage area - one of the largest fringing reefs in the world - contributes about AUD$110 million to the GDP of Australia annually. The Ningaloo Coast Resilience Strategy responds to the growing environmental concerns while allowing the community and local businesses to thrive over the long run.

The strategy was developed through a community-driven process led by the Resilient Reefs Initiative and will act as a collaborative funding framework for future conservation action. Community discussions generated 40 priority objectives to enhance resilience across five key themes, including, thriving ecosystems, educated and empowered community, sustainable development and livelihoods, pro-active and data driven management, and leadership in sustainability. The strategy’s launch paved the way for an initial AUD$1 million in seed funding to kick start implementation from where the necessary partnerships and financial support will be built to deliver the priority objectives over the long term.

The Ningaloo Coast release is the first major milestone of the global Resilient Reefs Initiative that is currently being deployed at four pilot UNESCO World Heritage-Listed coral reefs, including, Rock Islands Southern Lagoon in Palau, Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems in France and the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System in Belize. All three World Heritage sites are expected to release their climate resilience strategies in 2023.

The Resilient Reefs model provides a blueprint for how reef management authorities globally can understand reef and community threats collectively and take a holistic approach to preparing their sites for the impacts of climate change.

Resilient Reefs is a global, six-year, AUD$14 million program (approximately USD$9.5 million at time of writing), established by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation in collaboration with UNESCO, The Nature Conservancy’s Reef Resilience Network, Columbia University’s Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes, Resilient Cities Catalyst and AECOM. 

Read more about the Resilience Strategy for Ningaloo World Heritage site here.

Hurricane Recovery Fails the Financially Vulnerable

Based on a decade of data from Hurricane Sandy, two New York City planners explore the inequities of disaster mitigation and recovery — and what needs to change to prevent climate gentrification.  By Donovan Finn and Thad Pawlowski

https://www.planning.org/planning/2022/summer/hurricane-recovery-fails-the-financially-vulnerable/

The Army Corps of Engineers released a $52 billion dollar proposal to protect New York's coastlines through sea walls and storm surge gates. Samantha Maldonado, reporter at The City covering climate and resiliency, and Thaddeus Pawlowski, co-director of the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes at Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, explain how it would work, and why environmental groups are not all on board with the plan.

https://www.wnyc.org/story/how-army-corps-engineers-plans-protect-manhattan-coastline/

Kate talks to Brian about why "trees are a form of civic infrastructure" helping us to keep cool during heat waves and absorb water during heavy rainstorms; and how we need to work together to depave the city and create more contiguous ecologies.

https://www.wnyc.org/story/the-brian-lehrer-show-2022-07-20/

How can cities prepare for climate change?

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/podcasts/article-how-should-cities-prepare-for-climate-change/

Climate change isn’t just coming, it’s here. And cities are uniquely susceptible to its effects because of their population density and infrastructure. So how can they better prepare for the increasingly devastating impacts of the climate crisis? In this episode, we explore the concept of climate resilience — how prepared are cities to anticipate, prepare for and respond to natural disasters? We hear from Thaddeus Pawlowski, an urban designer, professor and managing director at the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes at Columbia University, who was on the ground helping New York City rebuild after Hurricane Sandy. Plus, Adrian speaks to Toronto’s former Chief Resilience Officer Elliott Cappell about how he helped Toronto develop a plan to deal with climate disasters and what gives him hope for our future.

Congratulations to all the GSAPP Urban Design students graduating this week - we are so proud of their work and exciting to bring together our partners through the Resilient Reefs Initiative Belize! 

We began studio with a week-long workshop during which we engaged directly with local officials from the Belizean Government, advocates from local and international NGOs, and students and faculty from the University of Belize to identify key issues as well as community strengths. We ended with a final review that brought local stakeholders, global experts, and distinguished design faculty back together again to discuss the student work and its applications in Belize. 

The studio spent a semester unpacking marine & fisheries restoration, climate mitigation, and local jobs & prosperity can combine across the system in different sites and scales. They explored positive, regenerative “ridge to roof to reef” visions for key towns, cities and farms along the coast by focusing on green-blue infrastructure,  eco-tourism, ocean-based renewable energy including wind and tidal, new housing and urban typologies, coastal design & zoning  and regenerative agriculture.

Check out the incredible depth of research, spatial plans, and urban design scenarios on the Studio's StoryMap: Resilient Belize, Envisioning Climate Justice for Mesoamerican Reef Communities

Belize faces unprecedented stress from climate change, rapid urbanization and real estate development, unsustainable tourism, and lack of infrastructure. Erosion, sea level rise, sedimentation are displacing communities and jobs. Livelihoods of those who depend on the reef are threatened. And the Mesoamerican Reef, second largest to the Great Barrier Reef, and the natural capital of sea grasses and mangroves and other irreplaceable ecosystems in Belize are under threat from increasingly poor water quality, rising sea temperatures, reclamation, and overuse. 

On May 4 - May 5, 2022, Associate Director, Johanna Lovecchio facilitated an Action Design Workshop in Belize City in support of the Resilient Reefs Initiative partnership. Led by Chief Resilience Officer, Kalene Eck, at the Belize Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute and key program partners at the Belize Department of Fisheries and Belize Ministry of the Blue Economy, the program is supported by the Great Barrier Reef Foundation and knowledge network partners. 

The workshop brought together key stakeholders, community organizers, national agencies, marine park managers, tourism operators, and NGO's to refine actions and approaches in support of a Resilience Strategy in two key thematic areas: Community & Livelihoods and Watersheds & Ecology. Tangible projects were outlined and identified that support capacity-building and apprenticeships for local livelihoods and villages, adaptive and coordinated watershed management, and nation-wide monitoring platform that coordinates and standardizes water quality monitoring and impacts across the NGO, academic, citizen scientist, and government communities.

On April 9, 2022, the Landscape Architecture Foundation and partners held a Grounding the Green New Deal Summit at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. Through 2 keynote presentations and 3 panel discussions, the presenters and panelists explored the intersection of design policy, and advocacy.

This video is from the second part of the summit and includes:
- Grounding the Green New Deal: From Iteration to Implementation – keynote presentation by Kate Orff
- Implementation panel discussion with Alexa Bush, Kevin Bush, Mia Lehrer, Mitchell Silver, and Jess Zimbabwe

Learn more and see the full event recordings at:
lafoundation.org/GNDsummit

Grounding the Green New Deal: A Summit on Design, Policy, and Advocacy
There is an essential role for the built environment disciplines to play in addressing the climate crisis and translating the goals of decarbonization, jobs, and justice into on-the-ground practices and built works. Through panel discussions with leading changemakers, this summit examined the intersection of policy, design, and advocacy to identify ways to accelerate individual and collective actions to effect change.

On March 25  Richard Spinrad, the U.S. undersecretary for oceans and atmosphere and administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) visited Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory to participate in a town hall and met numerous Columbia Climate School researchers to discuss projects that NOAA could potentially fund.

Learn more about Dr. Spinrad's visit and the researchers he met here:

https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2022/03/29/a-key-u-s-earth-sciences-official-visits-columbia-to-explore-research-ideas/

Moderator
Alex Halliday, Founding Dean, Columbia Climate School

with
Kate Orff, Professor, Columbia GSAPP, Director, Urban Design Program

Marco Tedesco, Lamont Research Professor, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory
Adjunct Scientist, NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies

Wednesday, March 30, 2022 | 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM EDT | REGISTER HERE

The research is clear and incontrovertible: the climate emergency is causing sea level to rise, threatening millions of people around the world. These impacts will fall hardest on those with the least capacity to adapt.

On Wednesday, March 30, 2022, at 6 pm EDT, two of the Columbia Climate School’s visionary thought-leaders will discuss their strategies for empowering, protecting, and transforming the communities most vulnerable to this climate catastrophe.

Please join us online for an illuminating discussion with world-leading landscape design innovator Kate Orff, renowned polar explorer Marco Tedesco and Climate School Dean Alex Halliday.

REGISTER HERE 

_{Rapid development along Belize's coast and climate change is reshaping the coastline, land- and sea-scapes, and communities. It presents both challenge and opportunity for local communities and livelihoods, the region, and for the Belize Barrier Reef System. To clarify these challenges with stakeholders, align on possible strategies for improving outcomes at multiple scales, and visualize possible future scenarios the Resilient Reefs Initiative, the Coastal Zone Management Authority & Institute, Belize Fisheries Department, and Ministry for Blue Economy & Civil Aviation are partnering with the Center for Resilient Cities and Landscapes (CRCL) and Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP) to deliver a Water Urbanisms Urban Design Studio and Accelerator Workshop.}
 

_{The effort was anchored by a week-long virtual workshop in January, 2022 which convened local partners, stakeholders, and interdisciplinary academics in order to ground the partnership in mutual learning and understanding of local policy and action. The workshop and subsequent Studio will explore and co-design a set of design principles, place-specific research, and conceptual design sketches that test those principles with students and faculty from the University of Belize, local stakeholders, subject-matter experts, and public agencies. Research and visualized design development scenarios prepared in the Studio will inspire the ongoing planning and engagement work of the Resilience Strategy, Coastal Zone Management Plan Update, and Ministry for the Blue Economy Strategy. The workshop explored major themes and issues in Belize and the Yucatan as they relate to six regions and 11 transect areas, selected by the Team. During the workshop, students and local stakeholders convened in breakout sessions with a set of facilitated exercises to explore local conditions, data, and stakeholders. A mid-review of the work in March and a final review in April will provide both additional convening moments for stakeholders, scholars, and students to generate ideas, ground concepts in implementation contexts, and provide feedback. Design concepts will be finalized in a Urban Design Studio E-book and/or StoryMap in May, 2022.}