By Randall Abate, Rechnitz Family/Urban Coast Institute Endowed Chair in Marine and Environmental Law and Policy

The world’s oceans are in crisis, decimated by a broad spectrum of threats including overfishing, biodiversity loss, plastics debris, vessel-based pollution, invasive species, and ocean acidification. The U.N. Ocean Conference gathers experts from around the world to collaborate to address these threats at all levels of governance.

The inaugural conference convened at U.N. Headquarters in New York City in 2017. After a pandemic-related postponement, more than 6,000 participants assembled in Lisbon for the second edition of this event from June 27 to July 1, 2022. The glistening blue waters of Lisbon’s breathtaking and expansive Atlantic coastline provided a valuable reminder of what was at stake during the conference discussions.

Shortly after our return from the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow in November 2021, Urban Coast Institute (UCI) Director Tony MacDonald and I resolved to keep the international engagement going and we set our sights on attending the U.N. Ocean Conference in Lisbon. Like the process of preparing to attend COP26, the application process to be approved as an observer organization at the U.N. Ocean Conference was similarly complicated and time consuming. We were finally approved to participate in March and immediately started the planning process to travel to and represent the UCI as participants in this important event.

The conference had a positive and solutions-oriented vibe that was spearheaded by science-based, grassroots initiatives; private sector innovations; and blue financing strategies. Some of these measures involve large- and small-scale blue economy initiatives that protect ecosystems and coastal communities, nature-based solutions like seaweed farming, and strategies for managing and repurposing marine plastics and preparing for a rollout of biodegradable plastic substitutes. The conference also included robust discussion of relevant global environmental treaties on ocean governance such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty currently under negotiation, and the ocean-climate nexus measures in the Paris Agreement framework.

Reflections on UN Ocean Conference vs. COP 26

Speaking of global climate governance, I wanted to share a few observations on the similarities and differences between the U.N. Ocean Conference and COP26.

• The U.N. Ocean Conference featured a much smaller-scale, upbeat, and supportive environment. This vibe was a refreshing contrast to COP26, with its three-ring circus atmosphere of diplomats and heads of state interviewing with the press at every corner, while the private sector and marginalized community constituents (e.g., youth, Indigenous, and small island developing states and least developed nations) engaged in a cheerleading competition for their causes. After the smoke cleared from the chaos, the COP26 outcomes fell far short of meaningful progress, especially given the emergency circumstances of the climate crisis. The U.N. Ocean Conference featured constructive collaboration on practical solutions without the COP26 drama (except for a few men dressed in shark costumes who were getting hassled by police when I arrived on Tuesday). Protests at COP26 were historic in size (approximately 100,000 participants) and impact, whereas U.N. Ocean had a much smaller and more subdued contribution from protesters. A brief video of the shark costume-clad activists and other protesters at the U.N. Ocean Conference is available in a brief video here.
• Genuine stewardship passion abounded at the U.N. Ocean Conference. Everyone seemed to have devoted their careers to marine stewardship. Conversely, COP26 had a lot of politicians and private sector constituents dressed in fancy suits who didn’t devote their careers to environmental stewardship, but were transitioning to the climate governance space because that’s where the action is now.
• Co-sponsored by Portugal and Kenya, the 2022 U.N. Ocean Conference devoted significant attention to the ocean governance challenges of small island developing states (SIDS) and least-developed nations. Pacific Island nations represent a remarkable 30% of the world’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) territory. Some of these island states have banned commercial fishing and manage massive marine protected areas to ensure that they do their part to protect the marine environment. SIDS and least-developed nations also have a prominent voice at the climate COPs, but their impact was diminished at COP26 due to COVID restrictions and complications with online participation.
• Youth and Indigenous participation was more prominent at COP26. I published an article in June 2022 that addresses youth and Indigenous climate justice litigation in the U.S. and Canada, where these two communities have been particularly active in the courts of late in seeking to address the disproportionate burdens they bear in the climate crisis. The U.N. Ocean Conference needs a more significant presence from youth and Indigenous communities.
• The theme that unites the two events is the ocean-climate nexus. Climate governance without consideration of ocean governance is meaningless, and vice versa. In recent years, the proverbial left hand (global climate governance) has been much more aware of what the right hand (global ocean governance) is doing, and vice versa. Ocean and climate governance must be fully integrated to ensure mutual gains. Ambassador Peter Thomson, the U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, delivered some powerful points at the U.N. Ocean Conference on the importance of the ocean-climate nexus. He noted that while we can fix the other threats to oceans (e.g., overfishing, pollution, habitat loss), our addiction to oil will kill the oceans with the looming threat of a world with 3 degrees of warming. He also noted the “perfect storm” of major meetings in 2022 that need to make significant strides on the ocean-climate nexus, culminating with COP27 in Egypt in November.

Monday Evening Sunset Cruise

After a long and tiring journey to Lisbon with countless travel delays, the U.N. Ocean Conference began on a fun and memorable note. Peace Boat U.S. hosted a sunset cruise that was an ideal kickoff side event for this conference. The event featured short and inspiring presentations from a range of distinguished speakers including Ilana Said, the ambassador to the U.N. from Palau; Fabien Cousteau, grandson of Jacques Cousteau; and Sylvia Earle. (More information here.)

This intimate cruise was a great networking event. Complemented by sunset-enhanced seascapes and ample food and libations, the event was part informative conference engagement and part stimulating and relaxing hangout. Remarkably, this opportunity would not have been possible without some pre-conference networking a few months prior to departing for Lisbon. In my capacity as director of the Institute for Global Understanding at Monmouth, we co-hosted a human rights-focused virtual testimony event that featured Hiroshima survivors. A Monmouth student who was interning with Peace Boat U.S. reached out to me about possible co-sponsorship of this event and introduced me to Emilie McGlone, director of Peace Boat U.S. In working with Emilie and Peace Boat on this co-sponsored event on April 5, I learned about Peace Boat’s active engagement on global ocean governance. Two months later, I reached out to Emilie to see if she planned to attend the U.N. Ocean Conference. Not only was she planning to attend, but she invited me to two fabulous conference side events that Peace Boat was hosting during the week-long conference. It surely pays to build and maintain your network!

Tony and I met several people on the cruise who are engaged in interesting marine science, citizen action and education, and blue finance initiatives. We reconnected with some familiar faces and made many valuable new connections. It was refreshing to see a mix of representatives of bottom-up, grassroots efforts side by side with representatives of well-funded, larger-scale private initiatives.

For the past 15 years, the UCI has been at the cutting edge of ocean governance policy and science, with a focus on the Mid-Atlantic region. Previous UCI events featured some of the celebrities (or their relatives) from this cruise, including Earle, honored as a Champion of the Ocean at the UCI’s 2015 Future of the Ocean Symposium); and Jean-Michel Cousteau (Fabien’s father), honored as a 2011 UCI Champion of the Ocean.

Highlights from the Panel Sessions

Panels, panels, panels. There were more than enough panels running all day, every day at the conference to inform and inspire the attendees on cutting-edge issues in ocean governance. Popular topics included ocean governance challenges for small island developing nations, marine plastics, strategies to achieve SDG 14 (“Life Below Water”), and innovative blue economy initiatives. The panel sessions provided a wide range of perspectives on these issues.

A nice counterbalance to the steady diet of panel sessions was the opportunity to network before, between, and after these panel sessions. Tony and I arranged productive and informative meetings with Environmental Law Institute (ELI) Ocean Program Director Xiao Recio-Blanco; ELI visiting scholar Patience Whitten, who co-directs the ELI Blue Growth Law and Governance Initiative; and Danielle Shaw, Chief Councillor of the Wuikinuxv Nation in British Columbia. These discussions provided helpful reinforcement of key themes from the conference and offered valuable opportunities for future collaboration on many ocean governance issues.

What follows is an effort to distill some key takeaways from the many panel sessions over four days.

Marine Plastics

Plastics pollution is ubiquitous in the marine environment. Not surprisingly, it was also ubiquitous as a focus of many of the panels at the conference. On a related note, in October 2019, the UCI hosted an excellent panel of experts to address the law and policy, science, and citizen activism underpinnings of marine plastics governance, available here.

Here are some fast facts to acquaint you with the scope and severity of the marine plastics problem:

• Currently, there is 1 ton of plastic for every 3 tons of fish in the marine environment. By 2050, experts predict that our oceans will contain more plastic than fish.
• Approximately 80% of marine litter (primarily plastics) is land-based debris.
• Only 9% of plastic is recycled.
• Marine plastic is now detectable and monitored via satellite.
• To diminish the contribution of plastics contained in most clothing, a new company now features clothing made out of fishing nets.
• Multi-million investments to address plastics pollution are already underway around the world in many sectors of the economy including plastics production, solid waste management, tourism, and agriculture.
• A daunting $1.2 trillion investment is needed to address marine plastics pollution effectively.

Not Just for Sushi: Seaweed as a Wonder Drug for Restoration of the Marine Environment and Coastal Communities

Seaweed aquaculture is one of many “nature-based solutions” to protect the marine environment. Seaweed can buffer ocean acidification in coastal ecosystems by sequestering dissolved carbon to limit rate of ocean acidification. Seaweed also is a valuable tool to regenerate marine biodiversity and habitats. Australia is embracing the seaweed farming revolution to enhance protection of the Great Barrier Reef and coastal ecosystems with strategically placed seaweed aquaculture operations, which serve as large-scale biofilters.

Seaweed also provides many co-benefits. First, it promotes food security by providing essential vitamins (including B-12), minerals, and essential fatty acids. Second, it promotes biodiversity and restoration of the marine environment by enabling a transition away from depletion of ocean fisheries. Last but not least, seaweed farming can help promote social justice goals, too, through economic empowerment of marginalized communities and promoting gender equity (i.e., a new movement to engage women in these initiatives is affectionately dubbed the “she-weed” revolution).

Living on the cutting edge of marine governance once again, the UCI hosted a lecture in October 2020, “Is Seaweed a Fish?” in which Ethan Prall, Esq. argued that existing federal fisheries regulation should be modified to facilitate the growth of the seaweed industry.

Closing Side Event: “Sounds of the Ocean”

For the last side event of the U.N. Ocean Conference, Peace Boat U.S. hosted another excellent event that provided an artistic and reflective conclusion to the week’s proceedings. Given the political gridlock on many climate and ocean governance issues, the arts are more important than ever to communicate the significance of these issues to the public to help goad politicians to respond to these challenges.

“Sounds of the Ocean” was a hauntingly realistic and immersive experience and a feast for the eyes and ears. It conveyed the marine environment to the audience as if you were an inhabitant of the ocean’s depths. The music was soothing and delivered through a creative combination of unique instruments and vocals. Through compelling images displayed on the ceiling of a planetarium, the audience was able to bear witness to the majestic lurching of massive humpback whales and the locomotion of jellyfish, like large mushrooms swimming breaststroke. Toward the end of the performance, plastic bags, cups, and straws were vividly displayed to convey the tragedy of the intrusion of this debris and the impacts it causes to the magic and mystery of the marine environment’s harmony. View a “Sounds of the Ocean” teaser video here.

Some Final Thoughts

The U.N. Ocean Conference was an informative and rewarding experience. The coverage of topics was vast and the information gathered and connections made were quite valuable as Tony and I continue to work on ocean governance issues in the years ahead. The conference was particularly useful to help inform a new article that I’m undertaking on ocean litigation, which will draw parallels to climate litigation and plastics regulation.

As was true with COP26 and with many major international conferences, most of the presentations were not particularly engaging or dynamic. Presenters were simply reading information in short speeches of updates from different countries’ and organizations’ perspectives. Moreover, the laudable effort to be inclusive diluted the content of the presentations. There were too many panelists (about 10 on each panel) in too short a period (about 75 minutes) for the presentations to be impactful. You can’t really blame the panelists – it’s difficult to say something memorable when you only have the floor for about 5 minutes.

The UCI co-sponsored a comprehensive side event at this conference that addressed innovative solutions to ocean governance challenges. Coordinated by the Global Ocean Forum, with whom the UCI has worked closely for many years, the side event focused on the theme of moving toward a “blue society” and addressed topics such as nature-based solutions, blue carbon management, and grants to inspire ocean management innovation. Tony was on the panel and he delivered a compelling presentation on the challenges of governing offshore wind in the busy Mid-Atlantic marine environment.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that food security was another key focus of the conference, which is a topic that is near and dear to my heart. The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) had a booth at the conference all week and several panels addressed aspects of food security in the marine environment. The collapse of fisheries around the world presents a major threat to food security because seafood is a primary source of protein for many communities and it also has cultural and spiritual significance for many Indigenous communities. Aquaculture is the most common response to these challenges, but it has many limitations and challenges.

I was surprised that the conference didn’t include a discussion of lab-grown seafood as one of many potential solutions to this food insecurity crisis. I suspect that this topic will find its way into the next U.N. Ocean Conference, which will be co-hosted by France and Costa Rica in 2025. 

Until then, be sure to strive to be good ocean stewards and encourage those around you to do the same. No contribution is too small. To underscore this reality, one conference speaker, Carolina Sevilla, founded the Costa Rica-based initiative called 5-Minute Beach Cleanup. Don’t wait for governments to get it right – be a part of the solution in your daily lives.

Monmouth University hosted 15 students from academic institutions around the country in June as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Inclusive Fisheries Internship Program (IN FISH!). Now in its second year, IN FISH! provides paid internships to undergraduates from underrepresented populations, with the long-term vision of building skills for success within marine resource fields and diversifying the NOAA Fisheries workforce.

IN FISH! interns spend two weeks completing a for-credit course in complex systems and ecosystem dynamics followed by eight weeks working with a mentor on a research or resource management project. The students stayed in Monmouth’s Garden Apartments from June 5-18 before moving on to complete the project-based component of their internships in locations from Sandy Hook to Seattle.

On June 10, the IN FISH! students boarded Monmouth’s R/V Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe for a hands-on exploration of Sandy Hook Bay’s chemical and physical properties. Led by Endowed Professor of Marine Science Jason Adolf, the group deployed various technologies to map the seafloor and record the water’s salinity, clarity, and temperature at various depths. The interns split into two groups, rotating between the Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe and the Marine Academy of Science and Technology’s R/V Blue Sea, where they conducted fish trawls and benthic sampling. Urban Coast Institute (UCI) Marine Scientist Jim Nickels and Monmouth University Marine and Environmental Biology and Policy (MEBP) majors Richard Kane, Marie Mauro and Nicholas Occhiogrosso were also aboard assisting with the exercises.

“The students were great. I was struck by the questions they asked and how interested they are in both the science and policy sides of the work,” Adolf said. “Some of them haven’t had the chance to go out on a boat as part of their educational experience before. There were students from big schools and others from smaller schools that don’t have access to these kinds of resources.”

While at Monmouth, the students also toured facilities around the region such as the NOAA James J. Howard Marine Sciences Laboratory, the Cape May/Wildwood commercial fishing port, and the Rutgers University Center for Ocean Observing Leadership to learn from professionals in marine fields.

Adolf has helped organize IN FISH! since its inception last year, when it was conducted virtually due to the pandemic. He served as the mentor for Middlebury College student Malia Armstrong, working with her and UCI Postdoctoral Researcher Chris Haak to create a web app that allows users to analyze 15 years of state data on hazardous Enterococcus bacteria levels off New Jersey beaches. Adolf said the project made the data more accessible to the public and easier to see the relationship between heavy rainfalls and bacterial blooms at specific beaches.

While still a young program, IN FISH! has already become highly competitive, with nine applications submitted for each available internship. Among this year’s talent pool Is Monmouth University MEBP major Emily Vasquez, who will complete her internship with mentor Katherine Mills of the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland, Maine.

Monmouth’s participation in IN FISH! is the latest step in its commitment to advance diversity, equity, inclusion and justice on and off campus and through its ocean science and policy programs. Adolf said he anticipates Monmouth will continue to provide its support and partnership in future summers. “It made sense to me from the start that Monmouth University should be a part of IN FISH!,” Adolf said. “It’s a great relationship to have between a federal agency and an educational program and it has an important mission.”

Rechnitz Family/Urban Coast Institute (UCI) Endowed Chair in Marine and Environmental Law and Policy Randall Abate will take Monmouth University worldwide in the coming weeks through a series of invited speaking engagements hosted by European universities.

Abate will deliver a May 31 presentation at the University of Eastern Piedmont (Italy) during a “Climate Change and the Protection of Future Generations and Biodiversity” panel event (see event poster). Also at the university on June 6, Abate will deliver a lecture on “Standing in Global Climate Litigation in the U.S. and Canada.”

Next Abate will deliver the June 13 lecture “Standing in Global Climate Litigation: Learning from Best Practices” at the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Law (Denmark). He will follow with a podcast interview on “The Climate Show,” co-hosted by Associate Professor on Environmental and Climate Change Law Beatriz Martinez Romera, who served as a panelist on last year’s Monmouth University Institute for Global Understanding-UCI webinar “Global Perspectives on Adapting Marine Shipping Governance and Maritime Sovereignty to Respond to Climate Change.” Abate will serve as a visiting scholar at the university from June 13-15.

On June 16, Abate will deliver a keynote lecture at a University of Helsinki Law School (Finland) event centered on his book “Climate Change and the Voiceless.” Abate’s talk will be followed by lectures from four legal scholars on topics related to the book: The event will be held in a hybrid format and members of the public may register to view it online.

The League of Women Voters of Southern Monmouth County interviewed Monmouth University Endowed Professor of Marine Science Jason Adolf in the May 5 episode of its “Facts & Issues” public access television series. Host Marie Curtis and Adolf discussed the degradation of Monmouth County’s coastal lakes and opportunities for the public to help by monitoring the waters as a volunteer with the Coastal Lakes Observing Network.

Monmouth University’s Riya Ajmera provided a first-ever student perspective on the closing panel of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Forum, hosted May 5-6 by the Mid-Atlantic Committee on the Ocean (MACO). The annual event gathers hundreds of professionals and stakeholders representing federal and state agencies, Tribal entities, marine industries, nonprofit research and advocacy organizations, and the public to collaborate on ocean planning issues.

In the video below, Ajmera shared her takeaways from the two-day event’s proceedings in a conversation with fellow panelists Mike Jones, environmental outreach program manager, U. S. Fleet Forces Command/U. S. Navy; Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean Chair Kimberly Cole; MACO Tribal Lead Kelsey Leonard of the Shinnecock Indian Nation; Emily Shumchenia, director of the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative for Offshore Wind; Jerry Barnes, marine affairs manager for Dominion Energy’s Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project; and Healthy Ocean Coalition Executive Director Sarah Winter Whelan.

A rising senior majoring in Chemistry with a Concentration in Biochemistry/Minor in Journalism, Ajmera authored a white paper in the fall that examined the nature and scope of risks to marine environments posed by offshore wind farm development in the Mid-Atlantic and science-based policy options that can mitigate harm to marine species and promote marine biodiversity. Her research was conducted with support from the Urban Coast Institute’s (UCI) Heidi Lynn Sculthorpe Scholars Program and guidance from Rechnitz Family/UCI Endowed Chair in Marine and Environmental Law and Policy Randall Abate.

Monmouth Presenters at Forum

The Forum panels had several additional Monmouth connections, with presentations by alumna Tatiana Castro, UCI Postdoctoral Researcher Chris Haak and UCI Communications Director Karl Vilacoba. UCI Director Tony MacDonald also served as a facilitator throughout the event.

Castro, who graduated with a B.S. in Marine and Environmental Biology and Policy in 2016, detailed her efforts with the nonprofit Billion Oyster Project to restore oyster reefs in New York Harbor during a poster session highlighting the work of early career professionals and students. Click here to watch a video of her presentation and here to view a PDF of her poster file.

Haak and Vilacoba both served on the Forum’s “Sustainable Ocean Ecosystems” panel (click here for video). Haak provided a presentation on fisheries habitat modeling research he is conducting with the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Vilacoba, who serves as project manager for the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Data Portal, offered a glimpse of new and upcoming GIS maps on the site that depict marine life distributions and habitats.

For more information on the Forum, including a full list of panel videos and presentation files, click here.