Plymouth academics at the COP26 Virtual Ocean Pavilion

Highlighting the importance of the ocean in climate negotiations
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The COP26 Virtual Ocean Pavilion showcased why the ocean matters in climate negotiations and to all life on our planet. It aimed to increase knowledge, commitment and action for the ocean-climate nexus at the UN Climate Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
Roundtable on the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) Ocean & Climate Change Dialogue Theme: Strengthening cooperation and collaboration among relevant UN bodies in tackling ocean and climate change
Monday 1 November, 15:00–16:30
Dr Sian Rees, Associate Professor of Social-Ecological Systems (Research) joined this roundtable discussion, exploring the need for collective UN and global organisations interventions to build ocean resilience in the face of climate change.
The key question guiding this event was: How can UN agencies strengthen synergies, facilitate and better integrate climate actions into their strategies and policies?
Starting with short presentations, the event explored concepts around common pool goods and services, systems approaches and the role of UN bodies. It was followed with two to three-minute intervention statements from each leading UN agency.
Children and young people's human rights to a healthy ocean: their importance for climate change adaptation and mitigation
Friday 12 November 2021, 13:00–14:30
Mrs Lindy Brown, researcher and Impact Assistant for the South West Partnership for Environment and Economic Prosperity (SWEEP) joined this roundtable discussion on the values on the ocean and climate change. Joined by youth representatives and researchers from different disciplines the event reflected on the relevance of children and young people’s human rights for the protection of the ocean and for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
In particular, the event provided an opportunity to feed into the development of a new UN General Comment on children’s human right to a healthy environment, with a focus on climate change, and the UN Joint Commitment to the Rights of the Child to a Healthy Environment. The event also included a reflection on different knowledge systems, including indigenous and local knowledge, and questions related to the integration of these different knowledge systems in ocean and climate literacy and education programmes. Chaired by Dr Bernadette Snow, Deputy Director of One Ocean Hub.

Supporting COP26 – United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021

The COP26 summit, held in Glasgow, Scotland from 31 October to 12 November 2021, brought parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on climate change.

The University of Plymouth is proud to be a part of the COP26 Universities Network whose mission it is to ensure that the UK academic sector plays its role in delivering a successful COP26, in order to deliver a zero-carbon, resilient world.

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