Context
Climate change is a direct threat to life in oceans – and to humanity. It poses a risk to marine food sources and biodiversity, as well as directly threatens coastal communities through sea level rise. While the world’s oceans are seriously threatened by climate change, they can also provide important adaptation and mitigation measures to climate change. For one, oceans absorb around a quarter of the CO2 released into the atmosphere. Although it may be useful to stimulate CO2 sequestration by the marine environment in a targeted way, the CO2 absorption process is causing a rapid rise in seawater acidity. This in turn threatens marine biodiversity and in the longer term, human prosperity. Finally, sea level rise is putting coastal communities around the world at risk (recent research estimates that land that is currently home to 300 million people will flood at least once a year by 2050 unless carbon emissions are cut significantly and coastal defences strengthened ). As such, it is essential that we find ways to manage the impact of sea level rise.
HOW MIGHT WE (HMW) Questions
New approaches are needed to:
► HMW support the maritime industry’s transition towards lower climate impact of marine activities (marine transport /tourism/ aquaculture / fisheries etc.) to preserve ocean ecosystems?
► HMW develop and implement tools that actively help people reduce or mitigate their personal or professional maritime impact on climate change?
► HMW include information of future changes in the environment (e.g. climate) in Maritime Spatial planning in order to conserve ecosystems in the long term?
► HMW help the public understand the urgency of taking concrete actions to reduce climate change effects and support it in implementing behaviour change?
► HWM increase consumers’ awareness of the climate impact of human activities (shipping, aquaculture, fisheries, tourism, etc.), develop greener alternatives and re-localise production and consumption?
More information on the first Hack4Oceans is also available.