 Good morning and good afternoon and good evening to everyone and progressively joining us online I trust that you are all safe healthy and at home Welcome to everybody to this session on ocean-based solutions in the fight against climate change This is a session held as part of the race to zero dialogues on the ocean day So thank you to our organizers the world economic forum friends of ocean action the blue climate initiative and ocean and climate platform My name is Lorelai Picour. I'm the secretary general of the ocean and climate platform And I am also the co-focal point for ocean and coastal zones under the Marrakesh partnership today I'm absolutely delighted to be here, and I will be your facilitator throughout the session So if we may start with a very brief On logistics a quick brief on logistics so we can get it out of the way and go into the discussion We we hope this session will be very interactive So we invite you all to go to slide up and use the platform to ask your question And you can see on the screen now You can either go directly to the website and enter the hashtag race to zero or scan the QR code And then we will come back to the questions during the the Q&A session after the panel discussion So now let's get down to business We are at a crucial time now with the upcoming fifth year anniversary of the Paris Agreement That will take place in December this year And it is more important than ever to reaffirm our ambition to tackle the climate crisis and to together embark on a race to zero emissions As you may have heard in the opening session of this ocean dialogue this morning The the high-level champions for global climate action are convening the race to zero dialogues over two weeks To reflect on the progress that has been made in terms of mitigation and adaptation solutions These discussions overall they will serve as critical inputs to the UNFCCD dialogues That will take place from 23 of November to the 4th of December With all these discussions and dialogues What is the point? Well, the goal is to really catalyze actions on climate change to support the Paris Agreement As you know, the clock is ticking. It's absolutely essential that now all civil society actors continue to join forces and Continue to send governments a resounding signal that businesses, NGOs, cities, regions and investors Are united in shifting to a decarbonised economy and thus emitting the goals of the Paris Agreement Of course in this global discussion we cannot forget that the ocean covers 71% of our planet and is at the crossroads of all challenges facing humanity today From climate change to biodiversity loss to the energy transition to ensuring food security And of course, as we all know, our global health The ocean truly is one of the keys to the sustainable future that we most build So now, to dive into the core of this session, we shall focus on nature-based solutions Offered by our global ocean to not only address climate change, but also enhance resilience and ensure a just transition to sustainable blue economy We have an outstanding panel here today, of course at a safe distance behind the computers, but still we will have a Good discussion, I hope, on the ocean's potential to provide such solutions. So thank you all for being here And without further ado, I would like to introduce Dr. Jilin Lowellin Who will provide some opening remarks. Jilly, you are the deputy oceans leader at WWF International And you have dedicated your life's career to marine conservation and especially in coastal zones It's an absolute honor to have you here with us. So please, the floor is yours Thank you, Lorely And I'd like to start by explaining how the Geological cycle and the carbon cycle Show us that oceans and coasts, the layers of sediment they contain and the rich web of life They support really are our planet's primary mechanism for storing carbon Now this vital function in the race to bend the curve Of carbon emissions probably rarely receives the attention it deserves So with the new end decade for ocean science for sustainable development Starting in 50 short days. We have a chance really to shine a research spotlight On ocean and coasts as carbon sinks and equip our policymakers with powerful arguments for their restoration and protection Now our blue forests and our blue gardens need to be cultivated as part of a oceans food climate Virtuous solutions set And our deltas and our muddy silty and sandy sediments Need to be protected from disturbance And protected from development so that their fundamental role literally as the sticky paper On which organic carbon is captured and buried can be optimized now uh coastal vegetated habitats like mangroves salt marshes seagrass breads these are well known as being blue carbon habitats because of their extremely powerful ability to sequester and store carbon in their roots And in their soils in which they grow They are also examples of nature based solutions to societal challenges Particularly in their function as green infrastructure or natural infrastructure By protecting coastlines by uh buffering wave energy by managing and protecting runoff from land um, these are all natural infrastructure services that they provide in addition to their ecological resilience services such as providing habitats and spawning and nursery areas for fish and marine invertebrates Mangroves are probably the best documented and well established natural infrastructure type and recent studies have documented that mangroves provide 56 billion us dollars worth of coastal protection function annually If we lost our mangroves, it's estimated that um an extra 15 million people would be subject to flooding every year Now the bad news is that over the last 30 to 50 years there have been major losses Often abrupt and irreversible losses in our coastal ecosystems This includes losses in our coastal vegetated ecosystems. This includes losses of coral reefs. This includes losses of oyster reefs And our and our deltas literally are sinking and shrinking because they're being starved of sediment due to sand mining upstream and water divisions upstream This is creating a perfect storm. We are we are losing we are losing these habitats We're losing their natural ecological and physical resilience functions We're using losing their natural infrastructure functions, and we are losing their ability and potential as carbon sinks The good news is that um international finance institutions Development thought leaders ecologists and engineers all recognize the opportunity of building with nature of harnessing a green economic recovery And by harnessing the power of nature By building with natural systems like forests mangroves and seagrass beds In we can complement gray infrastructure options And we can deliver infrastructure services at reduced costs and with additional co-benefits COVID-19 economic and economic stimulus packages and Are kind of in the order of trillions being put on the table and one thing we know for sure Is that that economic Stimulus will result in infrastructure Uh projects In the rush for relief We um, we must not lose sight of the opportunity Not just to build back better But to build with nature as we provide jobs provide that economic stimulus as we power the clean energy transformation and as we um As we enhance climate mitigation and as we support the restoration And protection of those natural ecosystems on which we depend So let's use this wave of economic stimulus Not to further erode the resilience of the coasts but rather to shore up coastal natural uh infrastructure To power a green and just economic recovery And to really harness the absorptive power and capacity of our oceans In the fight against climate change Thank you very much Jilly for your truly inspiring words and uh, I know that it's late in sydney so thank you for joining us and and for reaffirming your ambition and As you mentioned ocean solutions day, they must be founded on sound science to best inform policy makers and And we need to learn how to best harness the the power of nature. I think it's a beautiful way of saying it um to best deliver on our ambition for mitigation and adaptation while safeguarding the Many resources in the oceans. Thank you so so much um Moving on to the next part as you know The ocean was in the spotlight last year during cup 25 in madrid the the so-called blue cup under the chilean presidency And the ocean is now it's now rising not just literally but also on the international climate agenda and that's best news Over the last five years. We have made some significant progress in Recognizing the role of the ocean in the climate system First and foremost and we heard about it this morning from hansel to partner And the IPCC special report on ocean decrysler was published last year and it Addressed for the very first time the crucial role played by marineca systems in the overall climate system And as a vladimir reyabin said as well this morning. Yeah, this was a game changer for the ocean And at the end of cup 25 last year, we also had other good news Is that the ocean made a grand entrance in the final decision of the cup for the first time Where it was requested to the chair of sepsta sepsta for a non-unf triple c or policy nerds like me The sepsta is the subsidiary body on science and technological advice So the sepsta was asked to convene an ocean and climate dialogue to consider how to strengthen adaptation and mitigation action under the Climate Convention. So this is a true milestone for the ocean and climate community This dialogue will be held on 2 and 3 december this year online obviously So now we know that the time to raise our ambition is now and of course the ocean is an integral part of taking action forwards In that regard countries they obviously had a key role to play in ensuring a way forward to appropriately address the ocean and climate nexus Under the climate negotiations, but something that we cannot forget is that the race to zero the race to carbon neutrality Is of great concern to all of us to all actors of civil society So now let's dive into the next part of our session We have an outstanding panel who will be presenting and discussing the innovative work of their respective organizations and Truly in inspire us to boost ocean solutions So I believe that you can see online a few speakers have joined us. So welcome. Welcome to all. We have maria claudia Diaz granados with conservation international We have chip cunliffe with axa xl and we have dr flower and zoa with the dance of our seaweed cluster initiative Thank you so much for being here So we will try to have an interactive dialogue that will be followed by questions But if I can if that's okay with all of you, I will I will start first with maria claudia Maria you you are the blue carbon director at conservation international And as such you you work on the preservation and restoration of coastal blue carbon ecosystems Gilly mentioned it as well the the role of mangroves and salt marshes as sequestering and storing blue carbon Of course, they play a crucial role in mitigating the effects of climate change I have the privilege of working closely with conservation international. So I know how busy you are And I know that with the iocn and ioc nesco You've actually launched an international blue carbon initiative Which has several very concrete projects on the ground all over the world And in your case, I believe that you work specifically with the teams in in latin america and european in bogota So thank you for being here as well Hot hours And maria claudia Can you tell us a little bit more about you know Why blue carbon is so important the role of the blue carbon initiative and what is your Your take from there from the field Thank you so much for inviting me to be part of this Beautiful and very interesting panel and i'm i'm thrilled to be here with you all and as you mentioned conservation international with the iocn and Ioc nesco Launch an international blue carbon initiative almost 10 years ago or Perhaps a little bit more than that As a global program that works to mitigate climate change through restoration and sustainable use of coastal and marine ecosystems as gilly mentioned already The blue carbon initiative bring together governments uh research institute non-governmental organization and communities From the wall and i'll to get all together works to develop management approaches financial incentives and policy mechanism For ensuring conservation restoration and obviously sustainable use of coastal blue carbon ecosystems and It also engaged local national and international governments in order to promote policies And that support coastal blue carbon conservation and management and obviously financing because it's Money is needed to do all these interesting projects It also supports scientific research into the role of coastal blue carbon ecosystem for climate mitigation and developed methods for assessing blue carbon stock animations and all around the world The blue carbon initiative implement project projects that demonstrate the feasibility of blue carbon accounting management and incentive agreements And obviously this is very important for all of us in order to conserve And restore these important ecosystems. There are key for fighting climate change risk there are two Two two groups that are operating and working right now within the blue carbon initiative One is the scientific group that provides The foundation the scientific foundation for the blue carbon initiative By synthesizing current and emerging science on blue carbon And provide robust scientific basics for coastal conservation management and assessments The group has developed a coastal blue carbon method for assessing carbon stock animations It's a manual that you can all find on the website It's very interesting and and many countries are using that manual to evaluate and assess blue carbon stocks in the field The other group for its focus on policies and provide framework for policy development That means maximizes conservation of carbon in coastal ecosystem And mobilizes the implementation of that field framework builds An integrated blue carbon community that support policy implementation as well One recent manual that it is also available in the website Is the guideline for countries about including blue carbon into indices Which is really interesting and it's been A key for many countries in order to Develop the recent document they have to present right now For to complete the Paris Agreement as well But you asked me why blue carbon is so important and I I think that uh, dr. Dilly already mentioned a little bit about that Um, a blue carbon ecosystem provide numerous benefits and services that are essential for communities and biodiversity along coastal along all coast It is estimated that uh, over 200 million people worldwide live within 10 kilometers of the oceans and mangrove forests And these people and the communities to which they belong depend of mangroves for food jobs Cultural identity and obviously protection from the impact of natural disasters and climate change Also research Has shown that these ecosystems also play a key role in climate mitigation mitigation strategies as I already mentioned at local and global scales So protecting and conserving these ecosystems Is essential to prevent the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. That is one of the key services that these Ecosystems provide Reducing the acceleration of climate change and its impact, but also it supports They support water quality Healthy fisheries that are related with food securities and coastal protection against Flutes and storm, etc Um, despite all these benefits as dr. Jill also mentioned already blue carbon ecosystems are Some of the most most threatened ecosystems on earth. Uh, it's estimated that we have lost More than 60 percent of the mangrove worldwide Uh, we also have lost almost 30 per 35 percent of tidal marshals and almost 30 percent of seagrasses needles everywhere And that is why initiatives such as the blue carbon initiative and the ipbc, which is the international Blue carbon partnership Just a government or alliance and the global mangrove alliance as well are essential to meet globally these conservation and restoration goals and to work all together to us achieving that goals, which is Our role here in in the world Thank you so much. Claudia for your very maria. Claudia. Sorry for your very clear explanation and and stressing the importance of this critical ecosystems As you mentioned, we need to push for the science to policy Approach in all our endeavors. So thank you for paving the way In that in that sense and that and of course the blue carbon in n dc's is a true achievement of that effort So thank you so much So now I will turn to our next panelist who is also working towards building resilience and mitigating the impacts of climate change on the ground Dr. Flower and we thank you for joining us today And you are the founder and chairperson of the zanzibar seaweed cluster initiative And for over 20 years you have been promoting seaweed farming in Tanzania by studying climate change and modifying farming methods So that sounds very very fascinated. So could you please flower tell us a bit more about your your initiative and how the development of Farming technology is actually boosts resilience Thank you very much. Um in in my country We farm two types of seaweed one is higher valued seaweed and its price is double that of the other one So we have that in mind when we are speaking Uh, I started the zanzibar seaweed cluster initiative in 2006 Initiative that works to link farmers to to government to research and other stakeholders And I've been doing that for over 10 years And within the zanzibar seaweed cluster initiative. I've been developing technologies For farming seaweed is weird and then for adding value and this I've worked for it for Over 10 years now so farming in farming we're talking about Farming seaweed in the deeper waters compared to shallow water Areas where it is farmed now in the deeper water areas conditions are more stable. They are more optimal And then so I started to develop technologies A number of them maybe four or five of them, but I they were not as optimal now. I have Now the latest is the tubular net Technology which I started the researching in 2014 Now, but why why why would I develop these technologies for for farming and value addition? Well, it is because the of the increase in the surface sea water temperature Water temperatures especially in the shallow water areas Where the weeds are farmed is increasing over the years. Obviously The impact of climate change And therefore we see that the farmers Cannot farm the higher value seaweed to get the double the price the seaweed that is susceptible to high temperatures And we have seen recently also that In the hot season, even the lower value seaweed, which is hardy is also being affected So what's the the result of this? It means that some of the farmers have Stopped farming and some are farming seasonally So by by developing the the farming technologies deeper deeper waters It means that the farmers can get a higher value seaweed so they can farm the higher value seaweed So they get a Product of high quality and they get higher prices out of them out of the the higher quality product And then also in the deep waters. There is high production because higher production because They work the the seaweed grows faster and the biomass is is is higher So and in when we are training about the deep water farming methods and other technologies We are actually training the women to work with men and the men to work with the women And mind you this is not the case in the shallow water areas because in the shallow water areas Everyone has his or her own farms But working together in the deep waters. That's something we train them The the technology of adding value to the lower valued seaweed Means that the the the farmers can produce can make seaweed products and they sell at higher prices For example a jar of seaweed jam is a Sells at a dollar above support as a dollar a kilo of seaweed powder for four dollars compared with only 25 cents of a dollar for raw and processed seaweed So if they are working on this we have farmers who can have higher quality product They can get high prices They can get higher production and they work together in families your groups to help each other And they can make products and and sell at higher prices It means that these people will continue to work in the seaweed industry. They will not quit so Despite the impact of climate change that is hitting them all the time These people will keep on working in the in the seaweed industry because of the technologies that we developed They become very resilient and they continue with their their activities. Thank you Thank you so much flower This is truly truly inspiring to to show this concrete example of how you not only build resilience But also provide opportunities and vital services for local communities such a job growth and food And we will definitely get back to that in a little while Now we we have heard it a lot since the beginning of this session, but money money is important and we need to get the money flowing so Obviously another fundamental aspect of scaling up action is to incentivize investments in two nature-based solutions and Ensure the mobilization of the finance and private sectors in that regard So now let me turn to our third speaker chip con lift. It's great to see you again chip You're the director for sustainable development at axa excel among others you two are very busy, but You are responsible for axa's ocean risk initiative Which aims at catalyzing product innovation and a broader insurance industry response to ocean risk In particular axa has launched the ocean risk and resilience alliance aura Which is a multi-sexual collaboration from the global south designed to drive 500 million dollars into groundbreaking finance products By 2030 so that's pretty ambitious. Well done Chip, can you tell us a bit more about your work? How aura is is designed to to address the barriers to investing in nature-based solutions for crystal protection. Thank you chip Thanks laura. Yeah, look, thank you very much for having me as well and and great to to be a part of this panel I think it's uh Lots of lots of crossovers with what our fellow Um panelists have already said so look We know that nature-based solutions are a critical part of Disaster risk reduction and climate climate adaptation um, I know that Julie sort of talked about that, you know, the cost effectiveness of them the fact that they have those that significant environmental social and economic benefits um, I think that You know, what we do need to however do is to recognize How ecosystems are accounted for? I know that number Ecladia um talked about that as well Um, so, you know, what are they worth? You know, we need to put a dollar value on them because ultimately We still know that they're often overlooked or under appreciated in policy decisions within the investments Side and also risk management frameworks. So the side that I come from in risk and investment is is critical Um, I suppose we need to we all know that we need to drive investment into the space as leading to a Paris piece from this morning and they were just saying that, you know 140 to 350 billion dollars a year needs to be driven into adaptation by 2030 And you know, I think nature-based solutions is very much a part of that But we also know that there are various barriers To to to putting that money in that space and and I think part of that is about the nature investments nature of the investments that you know require that product to return Um, we also know that there's a very short pipeline of investable projects. Um, the investors could actually Put put some money into and of course, it's not just that we're not just looking at, you know, you know One or two million dollars here and there we're looking at the need to drive hundreds of millions of dollars into the space um One of the one of the other barriers, I think is probably that the fact that there's a lack of data To quantify the risks to the investments themselves And so, you know, oro is is very much about looking to do that. And I'll give you a couple examples in a second um, but the other two barriers are about about sort of creating that enabling policy environment and finally is really about Developing the timescale orange ensuring that the timescale required for that return on investment is Is good for the investor themselves. So oro has basically was was was launched In 2019 at the un To as you say to drive five hundred million dollars into into coastal natural capital by 2030 It's a it's very much a multi-sectoral approach. So it's not just the insurance and and what a finance industry It's working alongside governments Uh, the NGO sector and and of course all based on science So some of the examples that we are working on the moment is how we're able to enable the deployment of core reef insurance So, you know, we have one example currently in in mexico, but of course we need to scale all these different things Um, you know, how we're able to integrate healthy ecosystems into risk models So some what we're doing on on developing a coastal risk index We're working on micro insurance for small-scale fishes in the philippines Really, I suppose in that space in that in that sense I'm ensuring that you know that there is a sustainable Fishing fleet of small-scale fishes in in the philippines themselves. Um, we're also looking at um illegal regulators and Yeah, I you fishing and really Driving a proactive approach to minimizing the insurance industries Link to that and of course there's stuff about mangrove insurance as well. So there's there's lots of things going on But it's really about how we identify those projects and products that we can we can scale very quickly Thank you very much ship. It's really wonderful to see the grand commitment of the private sector and Here I believe we're really a we're at the heart of what the race to zero companion is trying to achieve to mobilize everyone from a Multilateral approach, but also collectively. It's it's truly interesting and of course I couldn't agree more that we need to really stress the importance of investing into adaptation solutions now. It's it's critical As we've mentioned public private collaborations, they're blooming all over the place and Everyone is very much dedicated to implementing nature-based solutions better protecting and sustainably managing marine ecosystems There are some great alliances that are forming to do this so I will actually turn back to to maria claudia for this because So I've heard that apple is actually partnered with conservation international to help you develop a new approach to Valuing the full carbon potential of blue carbon ecosystems So could you could you please explain us how this model works and how we can be scaled up as chip was saying This is this is the key here. We need to scale up action. So How do we do this please maria claudia the floor is yours Yeah, thank you. Thank you so much again. And and yes, it it is been a very interesting alliance. We have ci with apple and that helped us Move forward with a very nice project ci colombia develop together with in partnership basically with the national authorities and national marine and research institute A national a couple of national NGOs and local communities And the project is based or is focused on mangrove conservation and restoration. It's called vida mangrove in spanish means life mangroves so everyone is looking To conserve these mangrove forests using and pioneering new methodologies to measure greenhouse gas emissions from these forests and an apple Got in love of the of that of that project. I I have to say Because there are all approximately 12,000 inhabitants living in and around those mangroves and and and those communities um living extreme poverty and they make as Flower was also mentioning they use directly natural resources from within the mangroves It it that forest. It's also home to five species of mangroves that provide habitat to critically endanger fauna such as manatees, otters Cayman needed crocodiles turtles That are not only important for touristic activities, but also are key for local communities Well-being as well So the project fully account for the carbon Value in this ecosystem Not just in the trees, but also in the soil, which is one of the innovations that we are doing at least in colombia and maxima is the financial remuneration available to conserve these areas These obviously requires a national and site scale feasibility assessment Good data as you as the chip was saying we need to have data and we need to value that information as well um It also includes stakeholder engagement baseline development and obviously a project um development and implementation that includes um activities in the field to conserve and restore these mangroves and also um to to promote um Sustainable development around the forest and and everything an apple came to this project uh to generate to try to generate revenues from blue carbon Boutique credits we sell boutique because it's a very small project with a lot of information with a very good partnership um included and and the idea is selling those credits to provide long-term financial Sustainability for all these activities. So the project right now and thanks to the um to apple investment It's applying to for blue carbon credits through verified carbon carbon standard by vera bcs And an additional certification under climate community and biodiversity We are right now ready to expand this first phase of the project. The project is a multiple scale in a place called golfer and morrosquillo in the colombian caribbean And and we are ready to expand that project um and another Benefit from that project is the improvement of local communities And new livelihood livelihoods opportunities and and options that are expected to increase health and wealth of those living in and around the project uh, I I have to say that um conserving and restoring these carbon ecosystems as I mentioned before It's it's a no regret solution But we have to be very innovative in order to find financial sustainability to do so Selling blue carbon credit is one option. I I have to say it's not the best one. It's not the unique But it's one way of guaranteeing long-term investment for those projects and provide an unique opportunity to address Obviously carbon emissions and and as we were mentioned before and that helps Mitigating the impacts of climate change, but also it helps adapting people or or or Trying to create more resilient communities for these Changes that we are living right now in the world. So this project I have to say It's the first carbon project blue carbon project that uses that methodology And that will unlock the mechanism for carbon crediting or blue carbon crediting Which are globally scalable and can be uh can can can cause a significant transformation in ocean coastal protection If we do that and if we show that it's effective efficient and it's also it's financial Sustainable Thank you very much mario claudia for this very detailed and rich answer I'm sure that we will have a lot of questions going forward and as a reminder if you want to ask your questions You can go on the slider website and enter the hashtag race to zero Um, and then maybe we'll hear more from mario claudia from this But thank you because it's it's really clear now protecting blue carbon ecosystems and the vital services that they provide is Detrimental to address climate change and the whole climate crisis But it's also fundamental for local communities and you have stressed it in your in your intervention just now and You know nature-based solutions they they hold obviously some great potential to protect marine ecosystems and mitigate climate change But let's not forget that in mainly cases if not in most cases They also effectively address societal challenges by entering human well-being and providing a number of socio-economic benefits And and here we were not only in the ocean and climate nexus, but ocean climate biodiversity food security in the whole 2030 agenda for sustainable development. Everything is linked and we need to emphasize that Anyhow, I will turn back to flower now because I believe that your your outstanding work on seaweed farming has actually contributed and benefited local communities in zenzibar as a very brief Mentioned the picture right behind me was taken in zenzibar. So it's a dreamy place and thank you so much for For all your efforts and in protecting those vital ecosystems. So that's that's great But now I would like you if you don't mind flower to For you to tell us a bit more about how in your case the the development of innovative farming technologies has impacted local communities and More specifically on marginalized women. Thank you very much okay, the The the technology that we developed to farm in the in the depot areas we We have two two villages where this Two planets technology is being used and in each case we have about about 15 women Working in each group. They're working with the Three to four men who help them because the the technology needs diving to anchor the the the two planets and the women have to to Work with the men so they can help them but these women actually have managed to to To to to cultivate the higher volume seaweed and because of that they they end more and They are also increasing the production because before we developed the the the technology The the women were not harvesting much actually of this is higher volume seaweed uh, most of them had just Decided to farm the lower valued one, but now they can produce this high volume seaweed and actually Apart from from the higher volume seaweed also when you when they when they anchor the The the nets in the in the in the ocean. They also catch fish. So because fish Come to a high deander the net so they have the the seaweed and then they have the fish so this actually has has Improved the the people and they are they are very happy about about using this this technology because they can they can have They can plant the higher value seaweed and and and also we see that actually if you look at the for example the Value value adding process The women who are doing that actually have Uh, they are when you look when they are you talk to them They are different from those who are not doing the depot of farming or adding value to the series selling products they have More money and they do a lot of more things like Taking care of the families building houses buying motorbikes things like that So for for these technologies actually the women have improved their lives and they are really happy about using these technologies Thank you. Thank you very much flower. This is really really inspiring and We we must not forget that of course the impacts of climate change will be worsened for the most vulnerable communities So your your leadership your expertise is invaluable in this in this discussion. Thank you. Thank you so much and Going back to to chip as well I believe that aura's objective is also to focus on protecting the regions and communities that needed the most So for for this, of course, you you need to build the build the foundation for a new marketplace willing to invest In nature based solutions and coastal natural capital It is also my understanding that to achieve this objective And the aura alliance has launched its ocean resilience innovation challenge to identify and nurture a popular pipeline of Up to 10 finance and insurance innovations that challenge runs until 20 november So it's pretty much tomorrow. So can you tell us a bit more about what it means and how we can engage in this challenge? Thanks Laura. Yeah, look, it's not tomorrow. So that's good. Um, you have another week at least Um, but yeah, the the innovation challenge is really about driving investment into those coastal ecosystems as I said before and and I suppose that the key piece is how we're able to to provide that return on investment so, um You know, what one of the criteria is about, you know, reducing ocean risk for the most vulnerable um, but you know, all entries really, you know, we want to focus on you know, the viability of the The idea the inhibitiveness How we can scale the impact and of course equity alongside that too But you know as part of aura and you know, the work that we're doing, you know, gender and human rights Are key pieces to be aware of And of course, we also want to look at protecting biodiversity as well So, you know, we're certainly keen to have proposals from either individual organizations from uh from consortia from public and or private sector You know local society NGOs academia, I mean, we're keen to hear from anybody With with with some really good and well thought out Proposals The idea is that, you know, we will select winners At the end of this calendar year. We will announce them in in early 21 And the each project will be we're received will receive, shall I say support To maximize their potential for impact scalability and also investability as well because of course that is, you know a key part of this We will provide a tailored mentoring program and that will be run partly by the global resilience partnership But we will will be bringing in Mentors from the insurance and finance industries and others as well And that is really focused on, you know communications And leadership support as well really to try and ensure that those projects are funding ready when we when we come out of this, you know About the middle of next year And, you know, ultimately We are Hopefully hoping to to to link though those projects To potential investors as well and partners from across our network There's a there's a whole lot of information actually on our website. So ocean resilience. Sorry. Yeah ocean resilience. Um, org and And the benefits of course to the winners are on there and the guidelines to the applicants are on there as well And yeah, we're really looking forward to to to hearing from from those people who might have an idea or or or to to To look at the investment in this space Wonderful. Thank you so much. So as Chip mentioned, it's not one day, but one week So please go on there on the website and get involved Thank you so much. It's been a very very rich and very fruitful conversation I have learned a lot. So I hope that the people watching us are also very interested We've have heard some great examples of nature-based solutions and designed to be a resilience to protect the systems and the services They provide to people and of course, we have addressed ocean risk and how to scale up these solutions So it's been very stimulating So now let's let's give a chance to to the great public listening to us And to ask their questions to our distinguished panelists We have received a few comments. First of all, I want to say that Most comments say thank you very much. It's been very inspiring. It's been great. So congratulations to all of our speakers And thank you again for for being here To respect the timing that we have today, I won't be able to ask all the questions But um, I will I will start with a with a few So first of all, how realistic is it to try to develop carbon credits for smaller scale seaweed farming Such as that happening in zanzibar and what is needed to make it feasible So maybe maria claudia, you can take the first question. Is that is that's okay? Yeah, it's good It's feasible, of course I you need to look at the project itself and and see What is Uh, the project like I never work with sea wits in the past So I I'm not sure how the project should be framed or developed But I think uh having the example from mangroves In other places. I think, um, it's really Interesting to try to apply these kind of processes in order to get Um financial sustainability And knowing that in some cases is not the best strategy In other is not the only one But if you have a small project and you can combine different financial Strategies that could be very interesting Um, but I think that perhaps Perhaps flower have something else to say because she's the one that led so leads all these seaweed processes Yes, you have some comments to add Yeah In my case, I think that a seaweed farm can really be used to to Can be used for for this purpose. We see we have heard how how sewage Uh are able to sink the the carbon so much and it just needs the It needs the intervention of the government the government can make programs can Can help come out with with programs that will be Used by a private people or by just citizens or seaweed farmers to to ask for this this Carbon system, so I think that they if you look at Governments or governments most of them have not started doing this, but it is very potential And I think that the government Governments should be part of of this and it is quite possible to have this This system Thank you very much chib. Do you want to add something or maybe we move on to the next question? Yeah, well, I need sort of um, I mean not necessarily about seaweed, but just in the blue carbon piece. I mean, I know that Ci is very much a leader in this space. Um We're also working with the nature conservancy on a on on something similar Which which looks at sort of blue carbon from mangroves, but also developing a resilience credit as well. So Utilizing the the the protective benefits of mangroves to and providing a Or giving the protective benefits of those mangroves a Value as well And so, you know, I think there's some some really interesting pieces of work going on in this in this in this sort of blue carbon space I think it's it's very much a nascent area of work But you know somewhere I think that as As has been mentioned, you know, I think that That can scale And it probably needs to scale pretty rapidly I think we we need to scale it rapidly, but I think we need to do it in the right way. I mean, that's that's critical, of course Great. Thank you very much. And I like that next next question because it touches upon the the UNF triple C processes It's actually asked to all the speakers And how do we translate some of the things that you have mentioned into concrete ocean specific commitments into the NDCs? So to give maybe a little bit of background for again non-policy nerds The NDCs are the nationally determined contributions So they are the cornerstone of the Paris Agreement the commitments that each country has to make To achieve the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and in terms of mitigation because the mitigation And objectives will be quantified and will be evaluated every five years So now we're reaching to a new cycle from 2015 and many countries have Have committed to including the ocean or ocean related measures into their NDCs In that respect if if since that question came up I would encourage everyone to Go to the ocean because the ocean initiative websites They published last year an excellent report on the the different ocean measures They can be included into NDCs for mitigation as well as for adaptation and for hybrid solutions So, yeah, so maybe um, and of course ocean solutions in NDCs is one of the critical ways that we can push the ocean climate nexus So, um, who wants to take the the the lead for that question? Maria Claudia, I'm sorry. I'm gonna have to throw you under the bus here as well because you mentioned the NDCs in the In the discussion before and of course blue carbon is one of the only ecosystems that's truly recognized. So I I did I did I did mention that because as part of what we are doing within ci is trying to Promote the integration or the inclusion of blue carbon ecosystems into NDCs in each of the countries And and and I have to say that sometimes it's not that easy as you may um Understand or know that some countries they don't have specific data or very good data related of on mangroves and and of course There is little about sea grasses or salt marshes So it's very difficult to uh commit as as a political level to do something related with those ecosystems Nevertheless, we think that it's very important at least to have the will to do something Towards a conserving and restoring those ecosystems because they are acting as they are having a very important role on mitigation and adaptations activities related of course with climate change Impacts and that is why um, I strongly recommend If you want to read that manual that guidelines on how to include blue carbon ecosystems into NDCs because it's a very very Easy and comprehensive document that helps government to include in different stages We don't have we don't need to govern governments. Don't need to have a very strong data states in order to do so they can also add the Concept there and then open the space to work to worse Gathering more information in the future, but but it's also uh political will or political commitment to do something which is so important to consider to um Fight against climate change. So I I strongly believe that it's um, it's key right now for um governments from different countries To commit including blue carbon ecosystems into their national commitments national goals To find against climate change Thank you. Thank you very much maria claudia for this very helpful answer And of course if the people watching us are interested in them further discussing How to include ocean related measures into NDCs I strongly invite you to follow the next session on innovation because it will address also renewable energies and and shipping which are Key elements to be included in In the NDCs. I'm going to take one last question from the floor and then we're going to have to move on unfortunately Um, so nature-based solutions were defined by different players unep iucn companies, etc Uh, but depending on their interests. So the question is whether we should be careful about the misuse of nature-based solutions as a concept Maybe flower. Do you want to do you want to jump in here? Um Yes, I agree. I It is it is true. We have to be careful because sometimes we know that Nature-based solutions that it depends really on nature. We have to conserve the nature because if we don't conserve the nature It means that even the solutions that we are we are asking we are Hoping to use what we are using will not work if the nature is is is destroyed So we need to be careful. We need to conserve the nature We need to be careful about using using using the nature and use the natural resources Use the nature in a sustainable way making sure that it is continuous that we will not Destroy and then we destroy even our own solutions because they will not work anymore. Yeah Wonderful. Thank you. Maybe you do you want to say a final word to to close this q&a session? Yeah, well, I was just going to say a final word that sort of links to maybe the the penultimate question which is you know, how do we Employ this for the greater good and benefit of indigenous communities And I think that that's you know, it's absolutely critical that you know when we're working on this in this space that we do so at the local level and so of course, you know partly by working with You know across you know the public private partnership where you know, you are able to work with you know, the finance sector But also working with NGOs like ci On the ground and you know, who know the the local Local environment And the people who are likely to be benefiting from this and of course it needs to be Of benefit to those to those individuals and it needs to go down to that individual level So I think it's a really critical piece. You know, I do think nature-based solutions is a is a It is right that we are focusing on that and looking at that as potential solutions in terms of mitigation and adaptation Um, but we need to do that at the local level Wonderful. Thank you so much. Thank you to our three wonderful speakers for for committing Um to this session for sharing your expertise your knowledge and your ambition And thank you so much. So big round of virtual applause for for you all Unfortunately, we have to move on to the next part of our of our session. I would have enjoyed further discussing with you But um, I'm sure that our great public is uh, it's very much enjoyed this and thank you for all your questions And now we have to move on to the next part of this session Which will be very interactive as well and uh, and very exciting So I can now welcome, uh, four new speakers who have joined on screen. I hope so Hello everybody Thank you for being Being here with us today, of course and the objective of this next part is to To showcase some some concrete leadership through action. So we have four incredible speakers who will have each a few minutes to to Take us on a deep dive of their inspiring work and showcase what innovation looks like So let's not waste any time because that sounds very interesting And let's bring on our first ocean leader Monsieur Roman Troublet Roman you are the CEO of the Tara ocean foundation You are also the president of the ocean and climate platform. So I have the privilege of working with you on a regular basis And and I believe that you are actually talking to us live from the Tara vessel making us very jealous that you're at sea and that We're stuck at home. So thank you so much for taking the time for being here And I can't wait to hear some of the groundbreaking work that the Tara ocean foundation is is doing especially on the biological carbon pop So please Roman the floor is yours Hello everyone, very nice Panels and very nice discussions so far and uh, very I learned a lot today. So I'm very happy to be able to be on both So it's indeed I speak to you from the services. We are off the coast of France to Preparing one of the next two-year project. We are launching in the one month from now straight I mean, maybe I would share some my screen with some some images not slides but images If you can see my screen now You see my screen. Yeah so So I'm managing the Tara ocean foundation and we are on this boat now as I speak now and we It's really like a part a public private partnership. We are at to with this project with these actions It's a public science from all over the world involved in the project We run and it's funded by private partners private donors people you and me To make sure that this boat keeps sailing and keep doing Research on the ocean. So we are really well up with upstream Of of the talks that we have before on the land on the coast We really care about the the global environment whether it is in the Arctic on the coral reef around the world Or it I see all over the place in most of the time in the high seas But also on the coastal areas, which I talked about a lot with the blue carbon economy When recently we I mean 20 years ago, we realized that to cut the clarify the carbon Capture from the planet was both as important on land and on the ocean You can see here all the green areas in the ocean that really shows These these primary productions and also the the huge amount of carbon that is captured from the atmosphere To the to the ocean and then to the bottom of the ocean in sediments And to look carefully about this closer to France where we are now with stars You really see this kind of blooming stuff from primary production productive ocean producing a lot of of of carbon matter of primary production, but also storing a lot of CO2 and Making a lot of oxygen all these ecosystem services we talked about a bit today So we start we are never to discover this world to discover this more smaller Microalgae you can see here Cocholito force that when you really deep forward you look at where we find them and we really find them Like the in Dover the the cliffs of Dover. They really made up 100% nearly this limestone has been done by this kind of Algies sedimenting from the atmosphere from CO2 in the atmosphere going down into the the bottom of the ocean So how this is working? How this carbon perm is using this microbiome this crazy microscopic organisms that work together in the ocean viruses, bacteria microcellular unicellular algae seaweed if you want but very small ones that are making a lot of Of such a carbon carbon capture region in the ocean globally And of course as the government the capture CO2 they also produce oxygen a lot on every time Half of the decision we have on the planet has been produced by this kind of ecosystems So what are they? How are they working? How this microscopic world is is behaving in the ocean? Where you will look in the unpacking in the Arctic how we can understand All this microscopic life Its sensitivity to climate change to pollution Will these ecosystem services will be will remain or will be enhanced or diminished in the future in which area How can we understand better the ocean as a dynamic in fact? Place how can we understand the carbon pump of this ocean? So we start we we since 10 years now we we crisscross the planet to sample something like 100,000 samples Of these microscopic organisms and we measure the carbon pump The the the sinking the drawdown of carbon every day We cost we sell we sell in the ocean The drawdown of carbon we can see on the planet and And you can really see differences and so we you can really see different patterns and of course the ties the streams the currents are having a lot of impact but so this leads us to a way to think that In the future, we may not want to protect the ocean because there is a border but because there is a photographic stream Currents that are key to the rest of the ecosystem that we need we really need to protect in these areas to make MPAs in these areas because they have a huge impact on the rest of the food chain On the rest of the ecosystem that are storing CO2 or the elsewhere in the ocean So we try to understand how this is working. We use Genomics all the last technologies we have in the hand today to study the the planet and to study the ecology of it To really understand the biology of what's living in the ocean because this is really the key Partner the key player in this carbon food the carbon drawdown From the atmosphere to the bottom of the ocean and really the idea is to Understand how in the future we can say, okay, this is area key area shock points in the ocean that we really need Care about and to protect All year long or maybe six year six months per year because this is a key processes are happening there and are very important for the huge carbon sink Processes we can find In the ocean that is where so yeah back to the forest, but for the forest of the ocean Thank you very much for your attention. I think it's all I wanted to say today Thank you so much roman what a wonderful images what wonderful leadership You're definitely leading a true scientific revolution for our ocean our climate and Well, basically humanity as a whole so what a great kick start to our lighting round of speakers. So thank you very much roman And bye-bye from the Thank you. So now let me thank you roman let me turn to dr. Jennifer smith from the Scripps institution of osanography Jennifer, I believe it's extremely early for you now. So thank you for your commitments as well Your lab actually focuses on understanding how humans actually impact marine ecosystems in different environments. You must be extremely busy So please Jennifer tell us more about how You're developing strategies to protect these critical ecosystems for for the future generations. So Jennifer the floor is yours Thank you so much. And thank you for the opportunity to To speak today and share some of the exciting new solutions that are coming out of the ocean to help fight climate change As you mentioned my for my the majority of my scientific career I've spent my life essentially studying how humans impact marine ecosystems Around the world whether it be in temperate or tropical ecosystems And I can tell you that the one thing that they all share in common is that they're all being incredibly heavily impacted by climate change Whether it be sea level warming whether it be sea level rise whether it be ocean acidification And we know that all of these impacts are being caused by the increase in greenhouse gas emissions that are happening around the planet And while we all know about carbon dioxide being, you know, the most abundant greenhouse gas There are other greenhouse gases that have potentially a greater potential to help Rapidly reverse some climate change impacts. And so methane is the second most abundant greenhouse gas in the atmosphere And methane actually is about 30 times more potent in terms of its warming potential than co2 and one of the really Exciting things about thinking about managing methane is that it has a much shorter lifespan in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide So methane is in the atmosphere for, you know, 10 to 12 years as opposed to hundreds to thousands of years with carbon dioxide So this means if we can find solutions for managing methane Now we can actually we'll actually see these realized changes in our lifetime in a decade or two And so when we think about what are the main sources of methane emissions in the atmosphere The largest source of anthropogenic methane is actually the livestock industry and so specifically Livestock including cattle sheep and goats. These are the the ruminant animals the animals that Have enteric fermentation and in the process of their digestion They actually produce methane as a waste product And that methane the majority of that methane that is produced is essentially burped out of their mouth and goes straight into the atmosphere And so this industry has received a lot of criticism from environmentalists Notably because of the the massive impact to greenhouse gas emissions and there really hasn't been a viable solution for this industry to Apply to essentially reduce mitigate or even manage methane at any relevant scalable solution and so this we can fast forward to essentially 2016 where some researchers in australia We're experimenting with different types of applications to the the gut microbiota the bacteria that live in ruminant Stomachs to try to see how we might be able to manage or or affect that their methane production and they were focused on a lot of different species of seaweed Again another interesting thing about seaweed is that they produce a lot of very interesting chemical compounds Which have a whole variety of different applications from drug discovery for human use the antibiotics a whole bunch of other things But what they found was that one particular species This red seaweed pictured at the bottom of this slide asparagopsis taxiformis When fed in very small quantities or exposed to the gut microbiota in very small quantities actually Could nearly eliminate methane production And while these early studies were done in petri dishes looking at you know, the gut microbiomes Isolated from the animals over the last couple of years a whole variety of additional studies have taken place across the world where Scientists have actually been able to feed livestock Ground up asparagopsis and these studies have shown consistent And very strong results leading to up to 90 percent reduction reduction in methane emissions in these livestock animals Um, so why am I as a marine biologist talking to you about methane management in livestock? Um, that leads us to why isn't this application being broadly used around the planet today? Um, and that is because the seaweed is actually very finicky. We have we've never grown it commercially. We have no Uh blueprint for how to cultivate it. You know, we we don't just develop a massive commercial scale operation overnight And so that's where myself and a whole bunch of other scientists around the world are working to try to Identify how to make this a scalable solution You can imagine if we were able to reduce methane emissions by 90 percent for the one and a half billion cattle Let alone a similar number of sheep and goats around the planet We could have a real impact on greenhouse gas emissions And so there are many challenges associated with this this is a new You know fairly new solution, but it's one where we think Once we can nail down the the strategies for growing this both land-based cultivation as well as an open ocean cultivation settings This will create new blue economy jobs around the planet that can be scaled to communities all over both in small rural rural areas as well as in big heavily populated parts of the planet And so we're really excited about this solution and you know while this is just one example of a novel solution where The ocean can provide potentially highly impactful greenhouse gas mitigating Opportunities there are I'm sure many others and I would just encourage all the young Scientists and entrepreneurs out there to continue searching in the ocean for solutions like this Thank you Thank you so much. Jennifer. This is fascinating and reminding us that what happens On land obviously has an impact at sea So we need to address the interface between between the planet the terrestrial land and and the ocean, of course Thank you so much. We will definitely be looking at this innovative solution very closely in the future. So thank you Um moving away from the scientific perspective now. Let's go let's go back on the ground This time we're going to kenya with our next speaker Gabriella coco caribou. Gabrielle. Uh, thank you so much for joining us today You work at a mi coco parmoja or mangroves together in swahili. You you lead a Community let mangrove conservation and restoration projects. So come here to what to to know more. Please the floor is yours Thank you very much. Yes, uh, I'm going to present and give insights on coco parmoja That is a community based mangrove carbon offset scheme In kenya, but luckily mi coco parmoja means mangroves together so, uh As it has been said For these the community believe that When conserving mangroves as an ecosystem, then their functionality is increased and at the same time, uh, when they work together for example in activities such as a conservation Planting and other restoration activities then they can achieve a lot that will enhance ecosystem functionality as well as community livelihood improvement So as they carry out the activities, it's also a chance like they can chant mi coco parmoja mi coco parmoja So it gives them that spirit, uh, to be able to carry on with the activities. So mi coco parmoja Carbon offset scheme was established in 2013 and then it's established in south coastal part of kenya and then, uh It its objective is to restore and protect carbon through sale of, uh, mangrove credits and it is Verified by plan vivo for the next 20 years to be able to sell the mangrove credits so, uh, It's conserving mangroves in 117 acreage in which There's avoided deforestation area of about 107 hectares and then plantation of 10 hectares and an area of 0.5 hectares that is planted on an annual basis So, uh in the project As the carbon offset scheme, it's able to ensure permanence by Setting that side which is not cut. So it's ensuring that a mangrove, uh, like carbon that is produced is captured and stored in the mangrove things and then it's also, uh, ensuring Reduction of carbon leakage by one providing alternative, uh, forest that is With the first growing species such as cassuarina for which communities Can cut from and therefore they reduce pressure on the mangroves another aspect of carbon leakage reduction is by giving community members that is in ghazi and makongeni villages in south coastal kenya Uh, efficient wood fuel stoves So when they're given this for one, they is reduction of pressure because uh, they use limited amount of wood fuel at the same time there is reduced emissions And therefore it's also, uh, enhancing on the health of the community members so, uh, and then, uh, it's enhancing additionality by ensuring that Plantation activities is done so that whatever is there they're also being plantation to ensure that there's additional offsetting of carbon so In return, they are able to get credits They're able to sell about 2,250 tons of carbon per year and they get about 12,000 us dollars So this money, uh, we have what the association for coastal ecosystem That is a scottish charity organization that acts as link Between our amicoc pomegranate organization and the voluntary carbon market So this money once it comes from the voluntary carbon buyers, then six percent is retained By the access to enhanced verification That is independent verifiers come from the plant people and do verification And then 94 percent is distributed to the community members So they sit down and then they decide like what do they want to do? Some of the money is used to enhance like water projects in the community To help in building the schools buy books as well as Help in buying furniture for the dispensary things that benefit the community as a whole so, uh in the future We hope some of the voluntary carbon buyers include the caprio foundation Edit magnipi university. We have got uh tropemundo foundation or program and then We the project has currently been replicated in vanga. That is about 50 kilometers from mombasa city And then we are also looking forward to bundling seagrass ecosystems into the mangrove carbon Of setting scheme. So we hope that with the replication of these We shall continue enhancing mangrove functionality as well as improving community livelihood. Thank you Thank you. Thank you so much. That's something everyone else has been really really inspiring and again You've displayed a the concrete example of how to combine carbon max man carbon markets apologies The restoration of mangrove the protection of ecosystems and obviously Benefits to local communities. So thank you. Thank you so much So now to to go on with our lighting round of speakers. Let's uh, let's continue with our last speaker brands miss Thank you brand for being here with us. You are the co-founder and executive director of green wave Which is an award-winning organization that supports a new generation of ocean farmers So you have pioneered the development of 3d ocean farming and contributed to rethinking aquaculture So we definitely want to hear more about this Over to you brand. Thank you Yeah, thanks such an honor to be here. I think i'm the lowest on the food chain in terms of education and At intelligence, but a real honor to to be here. So, um, you know, um, I think of this I'm not really an environmentalist per se. I think of the nexus between climate change jobs and community Benefit and so and and that's sort of been the trajectory of my life I dropped i'm from newfoundland, canada I dropped out of high school when I was 14 and became a commercial fisherman and fish the globe But then 30 000 people were thrown out of work in my In my area because the cod stocks crashed and that's when I realized as a fisherman There weren't going to be any jobs on a dead planet on a dead ocean, right? And that that really, um, set off a Trajectory of how can I work and collaborate with the ocean be a steward on it so that I can make a living in the future So I went on this search for sustainability And experimented many many failures for for about 20 years and slowly developed a polyculture system That creates jobs mitigates climate change and feeds Communities here's a picture Of the of the farm You can imagine sort of, you know, it's it's under it's underwater. You've got ropes on the side of the farm I mean ropes and anchors they go vertically up and then horizontally across is where we grow our crops sort of a underwater scaffolding system Um, and the idea here is because we're vertical. We have a small footprint But can grow a huge amount of food I used to have a hundred acre farm on down to 20 and growing more food than before and its simplicity is its power Um, uh, because the ocean wants you to be a willow not an oak You just want to give with the ocean and then go up in the surface You don't want to be pens cages things like that Because the ocean is an unfriend unfriendly and then um, go to the next slide Just pop over. Yeah, so the idea is to grow as many species in these 20 acres as possible concentrating on species that you that that don't swim And and you don't have to feed so that's the kelp up in the corner one of the fastest growing plants in the world And it's a winter crop. So it's off season for many fishermen and post-hurricade We have our mussels which are lean proteins packed full of omega-3 is a lower carbon footprint than lentils and then oysters And scallops there just next slide And that's the farm from the surface and just kind of nothing to see and that's a good thing Right our oceans are these beautiful pristine places and we want to keep them that way Anybody can vote and fish on my farm some of the best fishing in our whole areas on the farm because it runs as an ecosystem And it's really our job as farmers to protect the ocean commons and sort of not and not be on the front lines of privatization So I think this is especially important For us is one it's regenerative just like land-based farming being regenerative This is regenerative food production. So in zero inputs some no water, you know fresh water No fertilizer no feeds no use of land making it the most sustainable food on the planet But also capturing Carbon the oysters filter 50 gallons of water a day. So sequestering nitrogen. We've rebuilt reefs. So as a fisherman I'm not depleting the ecosystem on breathing life back Into the ocean second. It's replicable right These are very cheap to build. So if you have 20 acres of boat and $20,000 you can get started and start your own farm And that's really important. So regular folks can meet like me can get into the industry And you don't have to be a large corporation and you can net up to about a hundred thousand dollars Which is a good middle-class job here and this low barrier to entry allows for fast replication Which we need in the climate error. We can spread farms very quickly Last it's scalable and this is key. It can't be boutique The world bank says if you farm less than 5% of just us waters We create 50 million jobs and the protein equivalent of three trillion burgers We need to think big, but we don't need to think thousand acre farms We can think of networks of small and medium scale farms Sort of a reef system of dotting our coastlines processing hubs hatcheries rings of entrepreneurs And then you replicate those reefs Now to scale the farm if we also need to scale markets and people always ask like who's going to Use and eat this seaweed. We like seaweed especially because of its diverse Uses shellfish is easy to sell for us Seaweed it's been a learning curve, but it's such a diverse. It's like the soy of the sea but not Evil so my kelp this year off of my farm went into tobacco barns to be dry During the covet era then it went to food specifically plant-based burgers and kelp flowers So we wove it into these other industries It was turned into bioplastics because we have some amazing bioplastics that use Companies that use seaweeds to create straws and plastics and think how amazing this is right? We're growing These crops underwater and addresses the plastic issue in the ocean And then finally for fertilizer and feed So we collect the carbon nitrogen phosphorus in the water with our seaweeds and then we get them into the soil For lamb base regenerative farmers to sequester that the trouble with blue carbon is if you eat the seaweed You don't have a drawdown effect. You have an avoided carbon Benefit but you're not you're not sequestering so we get it into the soil now, of course Also, if you look at the farms as a whole we're able to do food by products But also these ecosystem services like blue carbon nitrogen and and fourth data harvesting using the farms as data Platforms and selling that data and this diverse kind of species diverse markets and diverse communities doing this I think is the secret to climate resiliency just to close Greenway organizations a non-profit its goal is to train 10 000 farmers in the next 10 years We have a social justice focus of training fishermen directly affected by climate change and indigenous Community communities its head hands-on training. We're in seven states as well as new zealand Uh, we do hands-on and then digital platforms with toolkits and collaboration Um, and that's kind of what what it's exciting for us here is that we can build an economy for the bottom up That doesn't look like the industrial agricultural economy right and doesn't look like industrial agriculture But it's something better more beautiful is not privatizing seed regular people can do it And that's exciting for me because the goal there is how to folks from my community make a living on a living planet So thanks so much Thank you so much brand has been absolutely brilliant and and you're right The bottom of approach is absolutely needed. We need to have all actors of society involved Then thank you for your innovation. Thank you for sharing it with us and that's it's been truly truly inspiring so we cannot stress enough obviously the The link between the health of our ocean the human health food security green jobs, so thank you Thank you very much to this Incredible panel of speakers. I don't know about you, but I do feel truly inspired now I don't want to go for a quick dive in the ocean as well But you know that we'll have to wait for a few a few weeks months or so But very unfortunately we are getting to the end of our session But before we before we close we're we're gonna have two more speakers with us very high-level speakers who have agreed to Stay on for the for the closing remarks So of this session on nature-based solutions that the ocean can offer So please can we get the the other speakers on I can see you're on stage perfect on stage on the screen For first let me hand over to dr. Gemma Harper. Gemma you are the deputy director for marine policy and evidence at the front in the UK Of course, we know that the UK holds the COP26 presidency and has great ambition To further push the ocean and climate nexus. So thank you very much Gemma for being here. We know you you're extremely busy So please the the floor is yours Thank you so much lola lovely to see you again And thank you to our friends at world economic forum for hosting this really important event and for inviting me to join you And thank you also to this incredibly impressive panel of speakers I'm really heartened and encouraged by your passion and your ambition Replacing the ocean and nature-based solutions at the heart of action to tackle climate change And as you know as we face the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss And deal with the impacts of cobit 19 Now more than ever events like these are absolutely vital to bring us together and unite us in common cause It reminds me that no matter the scale of the challenges ahead We can only overcome them by working in unison across all sectors of government industry and society We know that the ocean has long been our silent ally Naturally absorbing and locking away carbon from the atmosphere and acting as a buffer to the devastating effects of climate change But we also know that the ocean can't do this indefinitely We must be the voice for the ocean As we know the ocean supports the livelihoods of one in every 10 people including some of the poorest and most vulnerable on earth Sea levels are rising threatening the homes and communities of over 600 million people living in coastal areas We know the ocean is becoming warmer more acidic In fact creating an existential threat to coal reefs that millions of people rely on for their coastal protection And for their food not to speak of the biodiversity that depends on them Last year cop 25 marked a step change in raising the profile of the ocean within UNF triple C And we saw the first cop decision Specifically on the ocean and it was a real honor and privilege to be there for that in Madrid As the incoming cop 26 presidency in partnership with Italy We are championing the role of nature based solutions to address the global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss Today's event is a real opportunity to reflect on how we will continue to raise the profile of the ocean and strengthening mitigation adaptation and resilience in order to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the critical role of nature as we appreciate more than ever the links between the health of society and the health of the natural world And so I'm extremely grateful to the speakers today for highlighting the collaborative action that we can all take To invest in a greater greener and yes bluer resilient recovery We strongly recognize the links between healthy and diverse marine ecosystems our global capacity for adaptation and the resilient recovery we need So the United Kingdom is championing a new target to protect at least 30 percent of the global ocean by 2030 To be agreed the CBD next year Along with fellow members of the global ocean alliance. We warmly encourage you to join us 36 percent of uk waters are already in mpa's and our government is currently considering its response to the recent benion review on highly protected marine areas Including the role of blue carbon habitats to improve climate resilience of our seas And we will continue to invest in develop and take action on world-leading science to underpin effective decision making As we know 2021 kicks off the un decades of ocean science for sustainable development and of ecosystem restoration And both are a critical part of this endeavor We will work with the un decades driving forward science equitable solutions capacity building and meaningful action We know that nature-based solutions could provide around a third of cost effective solutions We need right now yet they attract only three percent of global climate finance So we're committed to doubling our international climate finance and we'll be spending a significant part of that uplift on nature Additionally using the uk's 500 million blue planet fund We will work with developing countries to help protect their marine resources from key human generated threats including climate change and habitat loss But we must mobilize resources on all fronts public and private if we are to meet our ambition with the action needed So in conclusion The pathway to net zero meeting our sustainable development goals and delivering against an ambitious global biodiversity framework Can only be achieved by protecting and conserving nature on a massive scale 2021 is the start of a decade of ocean opportunity and I agree with what others have already said today We must make this a decade of action I'm inspired by what we've seen in her today and I personally am filled with ocean optimism for 2021 I hope you are too Look forward to working together to maintain this momentum Our ambition and to driving real world action on nature-based solutions For the ocean for climate for nature and for us. Thank you. Lily Thank you so much. Gemma your your words were extremely inspiring. Thank you for your personal commitment into this We've been working together for many years. So I know how dedicated you are. Thank you Thank you also for the leadership of the of the uk in this in this endeavor, obviously We cannot wait at least I can't wait to be a cop 26 in Glasgow Although it will be in November and cold, but we will be there to defend the ocean climate biodiversity nexus And in the meantime, yeah, we will definitely follow your words to keep the momentum going for both ocean and climate. Thank you Thank you so much And now let's bring on our final speaker Another true ocean champion ambassador peter thompson. You are the un secretary general special envoy for the ocean Thank you so much ambassador thompson for being here with us today And please I give you the virtual floor for final remarks Thank you for that. Lorelay If you can hear me just give me a thumbs up Very good So apologies for joining late. I jumped out of a meeting of the high level panel for sustainable ocean economy, which is Nearing then now and but I did come in at the beginning of brends Presentation apologies to the other present presenters But brend all I can say to you man is just keep spreading that message. It is so inspiring Really feel lifted by what you presented there So greetings to everyone and thanks for your attention to this really vital subject You know in the pacific islands, we've long been saying that the ocean change and climate change Issues must not be separated in the interests of bureaucratic processes It's long been obvious to us that their connection is too intricately entwined for them to be dealt with in siloed processes Thus, it's really good to see that our calls for a more integrated approach are now being heard and acted upon As you know the considerable progress That has been made within the u n f triple c's processes for recognition of the ocean's role in regulating The global climate system are now being recognized and I look forward to participating early next month In the subster ocean climate dialogue But in my experience of multilateral processes Vigilance will be required if the ocean's legitimate interest and its hard one place at the table are to be maintained Political power resides in terrestrially focused organizations and governments And until nature is given the vote that will always be the case Here let me note that if nature would have been given the vote the ocean would indeed prevail For an estimated 50 to 80 percent of all life on planet earth is found under the ocean's surface I won't preach to the choir here by setting out all of the solutions the ocean offers For both adaptation and mitigation in the face of the climate crisis Marine ecosystems offer a myriad of nature-based solutions to tackle climate crisis And you've already covered some of those and most of those I guess in your discussions today So let me just emphasize again that protection of marine ecosystems will allow the ocean to carry on its role as the great regulator of climate That is one of the chief reasons we pursue sd-14's implementation so rigorously For worldly to ignore the ocean's role we would do so at our peril Should we allow its health to continue its current decline through habitat destruction rampant pollution and harmful fisheries policies and practices The ocean's ability to perform that great role would steadily diminish and life on planet earth would suffer in untold ways So I say again no healthy planet without a healthy ocean Anthropogenic greenhouse gasses the expression just rolls off our tongue too easily these days The poor old dinosaurs didn't have the luxury of extinction foresight. They had no chance to spread the words Look out everyone. There's a massive meteor heading our way In our case the best of human science has made it very clear to us and we cannot unknow this That anthropogenic greenhouse gasses building up since the commencement of the industrial age Have been heating our planet and in the process have been acidifying the ocean Deoxygenating it and warming it causing such global marine phenomena as rising sea levels and the death of coral Make no mistake the ocean climate nexus is at the crux of human security on this planet And no one who cares for the future of our children and grandchildren should underestimate that fact We're seeing light at the end of the tunnel big governments big economies big polluters are seeing that light They've begun to appreciate that their futures are at risk One by one. They're joining the race to zero one by one. They're committing to a world of net zero carbon One by one. They're accepting that the choice of blue green recovery is the smart choice The united nations and yes, that's all of us the multilateral global community of we the peoples Is at the forefront of the race to zero We've stood together for the paris climate agreement and the 2030 sustainable Development agenda We have through the un family of un f triple c and w mo and ioc unesco Unap fao un depend so many other agencies and programs never resale from the great challenges of the 21st century chief amongst which is the deterioration of conditions for life on this planet The un decade of ocean science for sustainable development gets underway next year as does the un decade for ecosystem restoration Prepare yourselves for the good works ahead and be a part of them Above all do not lose faith in the ability of humanity to create a world of net zero carbon by 2050 After all, it was the Ingenuity of humankind then in the face of wars and droughts and famines and natural disasters and pandemics Always carried us through From the stone age to the space age in the face of crisis. We have shown that our powers of innovation are prodigious We know that we are facing crisis now as never before in the shape of loss of biodiversity A deteriorating ocean and climate change We know that anthropogenic greenhouse gases are our chief enemy And we have the opportunity in 2021 to set about a campaign to turn the tide against them That campaign embraces biodiversity's demise which will tackle at the cbd conference in konming Along with the ocean's decline for which we'll find solutions at the un ocean conference in lisbon And both of these waves of committed action will then converge on glasgo in november at the un f triple c's cop 26 To create there the great wave of change required We now have a real opportunity To establish a regular work stream to address ocean climate issues within the un f triple c's work So let us take the current while it serves Dear colleagues, my basic message to you on this journey is to commit firmly to the case For its rational Is just And it is central to the blue green future in whose cause we are working And I thank you for your attention Thank you so much ambassador tomson as as usual your your passion and optimism is lifting us all And and we are committed in that race to zero and we will be jointly active towards cop 26 um As i've mentioned now we have reached the end of our session on finding climate change and the ocean as part of the solution