Building a framework for operationalizing ocean commitments under the Paris Agreement
The course culminates in applied research and client deliverables for the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) as it prepares and responds to the COP26 ocean-climate dialogue. Building off of the considerable momentum provided by the 2019 BlueCOP, the 2020 Ocean and Climate Dialogue meetings, and the 2021 Virtual Oceans Action Day, the ocean-climate nexus will be center stage at COP26. Several nations have committed to making their second-round Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) “ocean-inclusive,” prioritizing ocean-related mitigation and adaptation measures aimed at achieving a balance between GHG source emissions and sink removals.
COP25 student delegates, and Professors Reiter and Brandt, meet with the CEO of SeyCCAT, Ms. Angelique Pouponneau
Often overlooked, “blue carbon” ecosystems can sequester carbon at rates greater than terrestrial forests, and are included in many small island NDCs. Supporting SeyCCAT (home to the world’s first sovereign blue bond), and in collaboration with the Oxford Seascape Ecology Lab, student delegates will explore the latest innovations in blue carbon research, consider the enabling conditions necessary for uptake of this science into national level policies and decisionmaking, and outline the financial structures needed to implement ocean commitments under Paris.
Sitting at the intersection of science, law and economics, the course provides an opportunity to support a small island client, contribute to the development of international climate policy, and inform the ongoing process of building out a framework for operationalizing ocean commitments under the Paris Agreement.
COP2020 student delegates worked on three primary areas of interest to SeyCCAT: (1) Assessing ambition and conditionality in NDCs in advance of the global stocktake; (2) Identifying ocean commitments under the Paris Agreement, and ocean inclusivity in advance of SBSTA 52; and (3) Reviewing climate finance structures as part of the conditionality laid out in the Paris Agreement.
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- Student delegates Jon Turner, Kristyn Ostanek, and Nick Hinckley conduct their daily afternoon brief while Troy Robertson (second from left), prospective VLS student–and regional organizer for the Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy–observes.
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- Dr. Lisa Levin and Professor Sarah Reiter arranged a student meet and greet at the Scripps booth. JD and PhD students mingled and learned about one another’s areas of interest. We appreciated learning about Argo, an array of floats with the potential to provide ocean observing coverage for 98% of the water column.
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- COP25 Student delegate, Ashli Taylor, featured for her interview at the Moana Pavilion last week
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- Professor Sarah Reiter and student delegate, Kristyn Ostanek, met with Ambassador Jumeau from the Seychelles to discuss the very big ideas being implemented by big ocean states like the Seychelles. These big ocean states are leading the way when it comes to the climate-ocean nexus.
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- An ocean “lady in waiting” at IFEMA. There are over 80 sculptures of Las Meninas placed in iconic spots around Madrid
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- Vermont Law School COP25 Student delegation, week two: L-R: Jon Turner, Andrew Hursh, Kristyn Ostanek, Nick Hinckley
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- Cover of the special report on the ocean and cryosphere in a changing climate.
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- Map of the Seychelles
on Innovative Climate Finance & Small Island Nations
The Innovative Climate Finance research team compiled the following case studies for SeyCCAT here.
Developed by student delegates: Paige Beyer, Su Ghosh, Jessica Griswold, and Teaching Assistant: Ashli Taylor.
on Ocean inclusivity in the formal climate negotiation process
The Ocean-Climate Nexus research team created the below infographic, linked here.
Developed by student delegates: Lucas Waggoner, Samantha Morrison, Julia Guerrein, Taylor Tavormina, and Mitul Patel, and Teaching Assistant: Kristyn Ostanek.
on Bridging the Gap between Oceans & Climate
The Ocean-Climate Nexus research team created an infographic here.
Developed by student delegates: Lucas Waggoner, Samantha Morrison, Julia Guerrein, Taylor Tavormina, and Mitul Patel, and Teaching Assistant: Kristyn Ostanek.
