Welcome to our November Newsletter!
Here Comes COP28, with Oceans at the Table:
In our last newsletter we wrote about the oceans gaining visibility at September’s Climate Week NYC. We’re excited that similar progress seems likely at COP28 (the 28th annual “Conference of the Parties”). When over 70,000 people head to Dubai for the next two weeks to grapple with a broad range of climate issues, they’ll have many oceans options, both in the pass-required Blue Zone as well as at more broadly accessible side events.
One highlight: the return of last year’s highly successful Ocean Pavilion. Lead partners Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and Scripps Institution of Oceanography have brought together over 30 partners for two weeks of panels, discussions and in-depth meetings across ten themes under three tracks: Changing Ocean, Climate Consequences and Future Ocean. Helena is the Associate Project Manager for the Ocean Pavilion and will be on-site for the entire two week span. She welcomes outreach from Investable Oceans community members who are planning to attend.
A few more notable COP pavilions worth exploring: Ocean Decade + OceanX Pavilion, The Resilience Hub and The Water for Climate Pavilion. There are, of course, broader issues of vital importance that go beyond the oceans. Here are a few resources to help illuminate the broader landscape:
Blue Innovation Road Trip:
Over the past two months Ted has participated in ocean innovation events from Biloxi Mississippi all the way up the East Coast to Maine. While each had their own unique feel and a dizzying array of inspiring entrepreneurs, two themes showed up repeatedly: first, the hosts’ great care and attention to building cross-dimensional, multi-stakeholder communities spanning academia, government, NGOs, investors and companies; and second, a deep focus on the local and regional elements of ocean innovation, while keeping in mind the “one ocean” mantra.
Here are the conferences, we encourage you to take a look:
We’ve Written About Increased Activity and Interest in Marine CDR (mCDR):
Below is a short summary, and you can read the full article on our site here .
Marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) approaches leverage biological and chemical processes in the ocean to increase atmospheric CO₂ removal and storage. While these approaches — ranging from coastal wetland restoration to electrochemical CO₂ removal — have potential to help us reach the Paris Agreement temperature goal, most have not been tested or deployed at scale.
400+ (and counting) scientists worldwide have signed an open letter advocating for responsible mCDR research and development to supplement ongoing efforts to cut global greenhouse gas emissions. Experts say the mCDR field will need significant capital and policy innovation, as well as a diverse portfolio of solutions, to encourage technological advancement and resolve uncertainties.
A Few Additional Things to Keep an Eye Out For:
- Planet Tracker December 5th Webinar: We’re big fans of the work of Francois Mosnier and the team at Planet Tracker, this 30 minute session is a great way to learn about their latest initiatives
- The Economist’s 2024 Changemakers Challenge : Ted is excited to join Marisa Drew and Lubomila Jordanova as mentors in the World Ocean Summit’s 4th annual ocean innovation program. You can meet the three winners in March in Lisbon at the World Ocean Summit, hope to see you there!
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LUX magazine will be running an article by Ted and Helena on ocean momentum in 2023 leading up to COP28, which we’ll be reposting on LinkedIn. If you’re not already following Investable Oceans on LinkedIn, you can find us here.
Remembering Don Walsh, a Legendary Ocean Explorer:
The ocean community lost a true pioneer and leader this month. In 1960 Captain Don Walsh, along with Jacques Piccard, descended for the first time to the ocean’s greatest depth – the Mariana Trench – in the bathyscaphe Trieste. Don was a remarkable human being – brilliant, caring, curious, with a wonderful sense of humor. A lot has been written about Don, but our favorite remembrance to date is from Dr. Joe MacInnis, a good friend and ocean explorer, steward and mentor.
As always, we thank you for your support and wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!
The Investable Oceans Team
