Ocean Stewardship 2030 - Ten ambitions for Ocean Stewardship
The ocean provides the primary means to conduct global trade and it is increasingly important for humanity’s dietary and energy needs. At the same time, ocean health is rapidly diminishing, and we need to address critical dimensions of public and private governance to accelerate sustainable ocean-related solutions for the future we want.
Ocean Stewardship 2030 describes ten ambitions that will contribute to a robust blue economy whilst also allowing the health of our oceans to flourish. DNV has led the work on the UN Global Compact Action Platform for Sustainable Ocean Business, bringing together cross-industry stakeholders to define the ambitions and agree upon the recommendations needed to guide global policy making and responsible ocean stewardship.
Speaking about the report, Remi Eriksen, DNV’s Group President and CEO, said, “This report contains clear points of action for Governments and businesses, building on the Sustainable Ocean Principles. It calls for cross-sectoral, holistic responses, and elevates the ambition for industry leadership.’’
The ten ambitions are summarised below, whilst the full report can be downloaded from the link.
Sustainable Seafood
- Ensure fully traceable seafood - Given the vital role of seafood in food security globally, all seafood traded internationally in 2030 should be required by law to be accompanied by standardized traceability data that consumers can trust. This includes seafood for both human consumption and industrial uses, such as animal feed.
- Bridge food production and dietary needs - There is a need for holistic policies to strengthen the global food system by aligning food production in the ocean with public health needs and balanced diets. These policies must consider the Global Goals and the need for climate action.
Decarbonized shipping
- Apply international regulations to limit greenhouse gases from shipping - As a global industry, shipping needs global regulations. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) will therefore continue to play a crucial role in enhancing existing governance frameworks to address greenhouse gas emissions, all within the legal framework set out in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. In negotiations, it is of utmost importance that IMO members, governments and the industry support the principles of the strategy and proposed regulatory measures, the timelines and the proposed stringency levels.
- Set up an international maritime research & development fund - Achieving the IMO 2050 ambition and realizing the full vision of the Initial IMO Strategy requires a cohesive roadmap and a suite of low- and zero-carbon technologies and fuels on which to base the next maritime technology transition. A global research fund is required to catalyze deployment of alternative fuel technologies and prototype infrastructure.
Harnessing ocean electricity
- Align policy with clear and targeted strategies - There is a clear need for greater ambition, the alignment of national policies, and the creation of coherent and targeted strategies, to encourage adoption of offshore renewable energy (ORE) as a significant aspect of energy policy.
- Target market conditions and economic incentives - There needs to be a clear and coordinated regulatory environment in place, followed by long-term commitments through stable policy. Ultimately, the industry needs a pathway to market. Governments working in partnership with industry can create the right market conditions to encourage rapid development of offshore wind and other ORE projects.
End waste entering the ocean
- End plastic waste entering the ocean - Governments, industry, civil society and citizens should collaborate to invest in universal access to effective waste management systems to capture plastic waste from land and ocean activities. The keys are appropriate education and incentives to encourage participation, better-designed materials, and solutions and business models facilitating a circular economy in plastics.
- End excessive nutrients entering the ocean - While run-off with mineral and organic nutrients needs to be reduced, a balance needs to be struck with food supply security as mineral fertilizers contribute to some 50 per cent of global food production. More efficient and innovative partnerships are needed to promote new nutrient-recycling models to connect the start and the end of the food value chain, and to create profitable business.
Mapping the Ocean
- Collect ocean data - Ocean data collection will provide information on marine resources and ecosystems, including the seabed, potentially affecting how future generations will interact with the ocean to sustainably produce food, energy, minerals, water, leisure and new medicines. There is a need to accelerate industry and inter-sectoral collaborations and partnerships to focus on solutions to collect standardized data (at all levels) on agreed parameters.
- Share and manage ocean data - Collecting, sharing and managing data are closely integrated, but can often involve several different stakeholders along the data ‘value chain’. Having successfully collected the data, we need to ensure smart data sharing and further enhance data value through data analytics and services that increase knowledge and support decision making.