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The Conference we attended for the Decade we need

The 2024 Ocean Decade Conference brought together the global Ocean Decade community from 8-12 April in Barcelona to celebrate achievements and set joint priorities for the remainder of the Decade. JPI Oceans contributed actively to the Conference and to ‘delivering the science we need for the ocean we want,’ as a co-organiser in three of the Conference’s satellite events.

The Conference we attended for the Decade we need


  • 23 April 2024

Coastal futures: Charting priorities for coastal resilience

JPI Oceans’ Knowledge Hub Sea Level Rise (KH SLR), run in collaboration with JPI Climate, joined forces with the Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience (DCC CR) and CoastPredict for a satellite event focused on Coastal Resilience. JPI Oceans contributed by offering a glimpse into the Knowledge Hub’s inaugural assessment report. The presentation, highlighting the co-design nature of the initiative and main components of the report drafted by the KH’s 50+ experts, was delivered by Bart van den Hurk, Deltares NL, co-chair of the KH SLR alongside Nadia Pinardi, University of Bologna.   

The report strives to synthesise the current scientific knowledge on sea level rise and its impacts across local, national, and European basin scales. It seeks to equip decision makers with the necessary knowledge to make informed decisions about protective and adaptive measures against the impacts of rising sea levels. In addition to the satellite event, JPI Oceans also submitted a poster to the Conference highlighting the scoping process and content of the report. The poster can be consulted here

Bart van den Hurk, co-chair of the European Knowledge Hub Sea Level Rise and co-chair of WG2 of the IPCC presenting the Sea Level Rise Assessment Report chapters.
Bart van den Hurk, co-chair of the European Knowledge on Hub Sea Level Rise and co-chair of WG2 of the IPCC presenting the Sea Level Rise Assessment Report at the 2024 UN Ocean Decade Conference.

The event highlighted other thematically related initiatives, including the Sea’ties’ Policy recommendations for coastal cities to adapt to sea level rise, and the CoastPredict’s GlobalCoast initiative, an ambitious collaboration to establish an integrated coastal ocean observing and predicting system, accelerated by innovative computing capacity. 

Recording of the session here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1n02mLAetA 

Blue Carbon Dialogue: Accelerating blue carbon-driven restoration and conservation actions

This satellite event fostered an inclusive dialogue around accelerating blue carbon-driven restoration and conservation actions. Presentations provided overviews of the JPI Oceans Blue Carbon Joint Action, of the sea4soCiety project, and of blue carbon dynamics across ecosystems. A first panel discussed challenges in measuring carbon stocks, improving Monitoring, Reporting and Verification (MRV) methods and addressing data gaps. A second panel focused on the science-policy interface, fostering stakeholder dialogue, guidelines for emerging carbon markets, and ensuring social/environmental integrity in projects. Key questions addressed how to improve carbon measurements, support inclusion of Blue Carbon in Nationally Determined Contributions, establish market principles, and ensure that local community needs are met. 

From left to right: Peter Haugan (Institute of Marine Research, University of Bergen, Norway), Roberto de Pinho (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO Subcommission for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions, Brazil), Majbritt Bolton-Warberg (Marine Institute, Ireland), Hannah Brocke (PlanBlue, Germany), Ingrid van Wees (Innovative Blue Finance Mechanisms), Yekaterina Astafyeva (JPI Oceans, Belgium), Martin Zimmer (Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research GmbH, Germany), Véronique Helfer (Leibniz Centre for Tropical Marine Research GmbH, Germany), Grace Cott (University College Dublin, Ireland), Caroline Culshaw (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom), Miguel Ángel Mateo (Centre for Advanced Studies of Blanes, CSIC, Spain), Marie Arnaud (Sorbonne Université, iEES Paris, France).
Listen to the Ocean

JPI Oceans co-organised the exhibition “Listen to the Ocean” during the Ocean Decade Week. It was held in collaboration with the UN Ocean Decade endorsed programme “Maritime Acoustic Environment” (OD MAE) and several other partners from around the world.  

The exhibition was on display from 9-12 April in the lobby of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Barcelona. It explored the role of soundscapes in the ocean. Audio and visual media immersed participants in sensory sound experiences of recorded ocean acoustic environments. Scientifically keen visitors could learn about ocean acoustics through scientific posters, project videos and a live experiment with a hydrophone.  

Scientists demonstrated their work to visitors of all ages and gave interviews with a local TV programme to raise awareness about the impact of maritime acoustics and the need for further research. The interactive nature of the event prompted participants to think of innovative ways to consider sound in their everyday life. 

Did you attend the “Listen to the Ocean” event in Barcelona? Enter your feedback in this form

Further information: https://mae.dosits.org/listen-to-the-ocean/ 

 

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