Small island states and countries in the global south are leading the way in putting ocean solutions into national climate plans submitted to the United Nations, ocean advocates say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After years of calling for greater ocean protection to fight climate change, campaigners are seeing some \u201cencouraging\u201d signs, as a study showed that an increasing majority of coastal countries are presenting at least one ocean-based solution in their latest climate plans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But they say the progress is far from enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ahead of the UN COP27 climate summit<\/a> in Egypt this month, the ocean community aims to ensure this trend of \u201cblueing\u201d climate plans continues. More importantly, they want to guarantee countries are delivering on ocean actions, and not just talking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Some positive progress has been seen in coastal countries\u2019 climate plans, says Anna-Marie Laura, director of climate policy at Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit based in Washington DC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are quite a few mentions of ocean and coasts, and the connection between the health of the ocean and climate change,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Under the 2015 Paris Agreement, countries pledged to submit and update their national climate plans, known as nationally determined contributions (NDCs), to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) every five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The UN received NDCs from 192 countries in the first round. After the pandemic delayed the second round of submissions, 147 countries<\/a> have submitted new or updated NDCs, as of 4 November.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year, Ocean Conservancy analysed the NDCs of 62 coastal countries submitted in advance of the UN\u2019s COP26 summit<\/a> in Glasgow. The study<\/a> showed that 85% of these countries included plans that touched on at least one of the climate solutions the ocean can provide. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\u2018Blueing\u2019 climate commitments<\/h2>\n\n\n\n