The One Ocean Hub is an international programme of inter-disciplinary research for sustainable development focusing on fair and inclusive decision-making for a healthy ocean whereby people and planet flourish. We bring together experts in marine and social sciences, law and arts from the UK, Ghana, Namibia, South Africa, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Our recent publications explore opportunities for climate mitigation and adaptation through transformative ocean governance ( here and here) and the impacts of climate change on the distribution of commercially important fisheries (available here and here).
We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join our COP26 side events – see details below. Watch this space for more opportunities to engage with the Hub at COP26 and please feel free to contact Senia if you have ideas for joint events.
Law and Governance on the Ocean-Climate Change Nexus
Organised by: The One Ocean Hub for the Climate Law and Governance Day.
When: Friday, 5th November 2021, details on time for the panel will follow.
Register here
The event will bring marine and climate experts, together to discuss the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on the marine environment and ecosystem services, potential mitigation and adaptation measures. The aim of the event is to identify synergies between the law of the sea and the climate change regimes that could maximise the effectiveness of potential responses to ongoing and significant changes in the marine ecosystems (and their services to humans) from the local to the global levels as a result from climate change. Ocean warming and acidification has been already affecting marine productivity (including fisheries), carbon sink processes, distribution of species, and ocean currents patterns. Some of these changes (or the combination of those) could lead to irreversible tipping points in marine systems and the planet more broadly. Hence, the need for a more integrated approach in interpreting and negotiating decisions under relevant global frameworks regarding oceans, climate and biodiversity.
Climate-Related Conflict: Arts-Based Mediation and Recourse to Redress
When: Wednesday, 10th November 2021 2.30-5pm GMT
Register here
Organised by: The One Ocean Hub, the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance, and the Independent Redress Mechanism (IRM) of the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
A short animation film titled Indlela yokuphila (“The soul’s journey”) made by artists, traditional healers, marine sociologists, and deep-sea marine ecologists from South Africa will be screened at the event. It will be followed by a discussion of the One Ocean Hub’s findings on how to use art-based mediation in climate-related conflict and the role of small-scale fishers as environmental human rights defenders. The IRM will present different avenues through which the IRM provides recourse to complaints arising from the adverse impacts of GCF projects and programmes.
Venue: Level 3 of the new Learning & Teaching Building, TL328, University of Strathclyde.
Message in a Bottle: Island Youth, COP26 and Children’s Rights to a Healthy Ocean
When: Friday, 29th October 2021 at 10.00-11.00 BST
Organised by: Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance and the One Ocean Hub
Registration page to be confirmed.
Following a workshop on climate science, clean energy and COP26, island schoolchildren have written messages to world leaders urging them to take action on the climate emergency. At this event, attendees will be introduced to the project and the significance of island perspectives on climate change. An excerpt of the project’s film, produced by UistFilm, will be premiered, showcasing the messages sent from island schoolchildren around the world. After the film screening, attendees are invited to discuss and reflect on the messages sent by island schoolchildren to COP26, with the option of sending responses to the children’s messages. Following Climate Change Message in a Bottle discussion, our panellists will reflect on the relevance of children’s and young people’s human rights for the protection of the ocean and for climate change adaptation and mitigation. In particular, the event will provide 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.
Posters Exhibition on Inclusive Ocean Governance for Decisive Climate Action
When: Friday, 12th November at 14:30-16:00 GMT (tbc)
Venue: Glasgow Science Centre
This is in person event please apply for tickets here when the event become live.
Organised by the One Ocean Hub for COP26 Universities Network’ Green Zone Exhibition.
The poster exhibition focuses on inclusive ocean governance, integrating myriad human relationships with, and knowledge of, the sea. The posters communicate the effectiveness of transdisciplinary research in uniting diverse stakeholders, including researchers, civil society, and Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) who have been traditionally marginalised from decision-making processes regarding ocean futures. The exhibition demonstrates how transdisciplinary research can empower IPLCs while promoting sustainable and just climate action by engaging multiple knowledge systems.
A roundtable discussion featuring leading academics on “The Ocean and Climate Justice: Impact, Adaptation and Mitigation”
Organised by the One Ocean Hub for Scottish Government COP26 events
When: Friday, 5th November 2021 at 12:00-14:00 GMT
Venue: The Lighthouse, Gallery 1, 11 Mitchell Lane, Glasgow G1 3NU
Register here
Ocean covers 70 per cent of the earth’s surface, absorbs 25% of global carbon dioxide and produces 50% the oxygen we breathe. However, the nexus between the ocean and climate change has been overlooked. This roundtable discussion will highlight an important message that inclusive ocean governance is essential to ensure that resilience and adaptation to climate change is sustainable and just. The roundtable will explore the impacts of climate change upon an array of internationally guaranteed human rights such as the human right to health and in some coastal communities, the right to self-determination and life. Given the close relationship between climate change and the enjoyment of human rights, this roundtable will illuminate the importance of integrating human rights in society’s response to climate change. This roundtable discussion will further draw attention to the challenges posed by climate change upon indigenous peoples and small-scale fishing communities, distribution of fish stocks, and the structure of deep-sea ecosystems. It will provide an opportunity to discuss innovation and adaptation strategies that can support the sustainability of the oceans and improve communities’ resilience.
1. Climate change, the ocean and human rights: The role of arts in furthering justice for indigenous peoples, small-scale fishers, rural women and children
Professor Elisa Morgera (University of Strathclyde) & Professor Stuart Jeffrey (Glasgow School of Art)
2. Political ecology of climate change and indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ customary laws
Dr David Wilson (University of Strathclyde, UK) & Professor Rose Boswell (Nelson Mandela University)
3. Blue Economy Solutions towards Climate Adaptation and Resilience
Dr Bernadette Snow (University of Strathclyde), Professor Jeremy Hills (University of South Pacific) & Dr Kelly Hoareau (University of Seychelles).
4. Multiple Threats from Climate Change and Different Management Scenarios: Visualising and Predicting Deep-sea Species and Habitats Distribution
Dr Sebastian Hennige (University of Edinburgh)
5. Fisheries under Climate Change: the use of models in assessing impacts and improving adaptation measures
Dr John Pinnegar (CEFAS) & Professor Warwick Sauer (Rhodes University).
COP26 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Live Event
SBSTA Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue Theme: Strengthening cooperation and collaboration among relevant UN bodies in tackling ocean and climate change
When: 1st November 3-4:30 pm GMT
Register here
The roundtable session will explore the need for collective UN and global organisations interventions to build ocean resilience in the face of climate change, using appropriate/sustainable mitigation and adaptation strategies for states and the governance of common ocean goods and services. The key question guiding this session is: How can UN agencies strengthen synergies, facilitate and better integrate climate actions into their strategies and policies? The session will start with few short presentations, exploring concepts around common pool goods and services, systems approaches and the role of UN bodies. It will be followed with 2–3-minute intervention statement from each leading UN agency.
Chair: Mr Eden Charles, a former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Deputy Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations, New York, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority for the Enterprise and the Chairman of the Advisory Board of One Ocean Hub UKRI.
Panel:
- Dr Sian Rees, Associate Professor of Social-Ecological Systems, University of Plymouth.
- Dr Bernadette Snow, Deputy Director, One Ocean Hub.
- Professor Lisa Levin, Distinguished Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego.
- Dr. Joanna Post, Programme Management Officer for Research & Systematic Observation, UNFCCC Secretariat.
- Dr Vladimir Ryabinin, Executive Secretary, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO
- Professor Manuel Barange, Director, Fisheries and Aquaculture Policy and Resources Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN.
- Dr Joseph Appiott, Coordinator, Marine, Coastal and Island Biodiversity, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
- Mr Fredrik Haag, Head of the Office for London Convention/Protocol & Ocean Affairs, Marine Environment Division, International Maritime Organization
- Dr. Carlos Garcia-Soto, Coordinator of the Group of Experts of the UN Regular Process (World Ocean Assessment III); Spanish National Research Council (CSIC-IEO).
Transitioning to the Blue Economy (the role of university partnerships in supporting sustainable development)
Delivered in partnership with the Association of Commonwealth Universities
When: 5th November, 3pm-4pm GMT
Venue: Blue Zone of COP26
Chair: Dr Joanna Newman, Chief Executive, Association of Commonwealth Universities
Panel:
Hon. Dean Jonas, Minister for the Blue Economy, Government of Antigua and Barbuda
Dr Donovan Campbell
Dr Nick Hardman-Mountford, Head of Oceans and Natural Resources, Commonwealth Secretariat
Samantha Cohen CVO, Chief Executive, Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council
Professor Elisa Morgera, Principal Investigator, One Ocean Hub, University of Strathclyde
COP26 Virtual Ocean Pavilion Live Event
Children and young people’ human rights to a healthy ocean: their importance for climate change adaptation & mitigation
When: 12th November 2021 at 1pm-2:30 pm GMT
Register here.
The roundtable will bring together youth representatives and researchers from different disciplines on children’ and youth’ views on the values on the ocean and climate change. Our panellists will reflect 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 will provide 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 will also include 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.
Chair: Dr Bernadette Snow (Deputy Director of One Ocean Hub)
Panel:
- Professor Elisa Morgera (Director of the One Ocean Hub)
- Ms Lindy Brown (Researcher, University of Plymouth)
- Ms Soo-Young Hwang (Legal officer, the United Nations Environment Programme)
- Ms Kelsey Archer Barnhill (One Ocean Hub, UK All-Atlantic Ocean Youth Ambassador, University of Edinburgh)
- Mr Mark Haver (Chair of Youth Policy Advisory Council Sustainable Ocean Alliance)
- Ms Amanda Bjorksell (Youth delegate from Sweden) tbc
- Ms Fredrika Andersson (Youth delegate from Sweden) tbc