Navigating the Future V: Recommendations for the Ocean Decade

One Earth

Frontiers in Marine Science, 2019

Our civilization needs a clean, resilient, productive, safe, well-observed, documented and predicted ocean. "The ocean we need for the future we want" was the motto of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission proposal to the United Nations to consider the merit of an Ocean Science Decade. By proclaiming the Decade, the UN General Assembly offered the oceanographic community a unique, once in a lifetime , opportunity to change the way we do things, make oceanography fit for purpose of effectively supporting sustainable development, and energize the ocean sciences for future generations. The Decade is the chance to put in place a more complete and sustainable observing system and feed the resulting data into a science-based informed decision-making system allowing increased reliance of our civilization on the ocean, its ecosystem services and, at the same time, preserving ocean health. Strong and proactive engagement of the oceanographic community in the design of the Decade and its observing component and subsequent energetic implementation of the ideas are sought. Participants in OceanObs'19 are invited to consider the additional possibilities and requirements associated with the Decade in their contributions to and brainstorming at the Conference. It is essential to use collective wisdom of OceanObs'19 to help developing an ambitious and also realistic implementation plan for the Decade, with a strong observational component.

Frontiers in Marine Science, 2022

The Ocean Decade (OD) is the name of a United Nations (UN) initiative devoted to ocean science for sustainable development. It started in 2021 and will provide an opportunity to create a new foundation, across the science-policy interface, to strengthen the sustainable management of oceans and coasts and, at same time, bring benefits for future generations. The OD will establish a common strategy to achieve the objectives of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the other European Union (EU) and international agreements, such as the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the Marine Biodiversity Strategy and the UN World Assessment I and II aimed at preserving ocean health. Furthermore, the OD has several expected outcomes that concern different aspects of marine environment, including its enormous values for humans. Several entities will combine efforts to achieve these goals and science is at the forefront of the sustainable blue economy. Marine research is solving complex challenges through interdisciplinary approaches, revolutionizing our life and our interaction with the ocean. This review discusses recent advancements in science related to the OD outcomes. The role of new technology for ocean exploration and monitoring, the importance of omics science and biotechnology to deal with ocean pollution, and other innovative solutions are discussed. All of these are inspired by the idea of using marine resources in a sustainable way and without impacting in a negative way on marine ecosystems. The role of science communication is therefore considered a crucial issue to spread the OD messages and to reach the general public and stakeholders. Only by the integration of science, governance, industry and public, the OD will have any chance to succeed.

2019

Navigating the Future is a publication series produced by the European Marine Board providing future perspectives on marine science and technology in Europe. Navigating the Future V (NFV) highlights new knowledge obtained since Navigating the Future IV (2013). It is set within the framework of the 2015 Paris Agreement and builds on the scientific basis and recommendations of the IPCC reports. NFV gives recommendations on the science required during the next decade to deliver the ocean we need to support a sustainable future. This will be important for the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021 – 2030), the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the European Commission’s next framework programme, Horizon Europe (2021 - 2027). There is a growing need to strengthen the links between marine science, society and policy since we cannot properly manage what we do not know. In recent years, the ocean and seas have received new prominence...

The Ocean of Tomorrow, 2020

Science and technology offer an opportunity to reconcile the protection of marine ecosystems with the development of sustainable maritime activities, through an integrated maritime policy. In this context, the European Commission has developed a strategy with the aim of proposing means for better integrating marine research with maritime research. To achieve this, the EU increases the integration between established research disciplines and improves cooperation between all the stakeholders concerned with seas and oceans. This book focuses on results of thirteen projects 5 funded by the European Commission. These projects propose concrete measures and mechanisms to improve the efficiency and excellence of marine and maritime research in order to address the challenges and opportunities presented by the oceans and seas. This opening chapter provides an introduction to these projects by first reviewing the goals, partners, methodology and objectives of the each of the projects.