Laffoley, D.

The value and role of mangroves, saltmarshes and seagrasses for climate change mitigation was established back in 2009 by reports by IUCN and UNEP to focus attention on addressing a critical gap in national carbon accounting and management.

The ocean is a major player in the regulation of the world’s climate system. The purpose of the report is to provide information to underpin the outcomes of COP21 and in particular to demonstrate the importance of the role of MPAs in climate change adaptation and mitigation. To do this the report brings together scientific information on how MPAs can help to solve climate change issues in coastal and ocean ecosystems.

Ocean warming may well turn out to be the greatest hidden challenge of our generation. This report represents the most comprehensive review to date on ocean warming.

Ocean warming may well turn out to be the greatest hidden challenge of our generation. This report represents the most comprehensive review to date on ocean warming.

Following the first international workshop on the economics of ocean acidification organized by the Centre Scientifique de Monaco and the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2010,  a second international workshop was held in November 2012, which explored the level of risk, and the resilience or vulnerability of defined regions of the world ocean in terms of fishery and aquaculture species and economic impacts, and social adaptation. This report includes the findings and

This report sets out the importance of carbon in the open ocean and, through examples, illustrates the significance and values of some of its major carbon pools and sinks. It has been produced to promote better understanding of how atmospheric carbon is captured, stored and mobilized in the ocean, and how this has a significant bearing on sustainability, the welfare of people, and the future scale and intensity of climate change and ocean acidification.

This report sets out the importance of carbon in the open ocean and, through examples, illustrates the significance and values of some of its major carbon pools and sinks. It has been produced to promote better understanding of how atmospheric carbon is captured, stored and mobilized in the ocean, and how this has a significant bearing on sustainability, the welfare of people, and the future scale and intensity of climate change and ocean acidification.

Through presentations, discussions and recommendations the workshop documented and described the cumulative effects of such impacts, how these commonly act in a negatively synergistic way, and why therefore concerted action is now needed to address the consequences set out in this report.