KEYNOTE | Wednesday 17 September, 12:00–13:15

Rethinking Ocean Protection:
Towards the Enhancement of Policy Coherence to Restore the Climate System and Ocean Health

Dr. Leonardo Valenzuela Pérez
(Director of International Partnerships at Ocean Visions, USA)

Climate change and biodiversity loss are intertwined crises with severe consequences for the ocean. As marine ecosystems face growing stress and degradation, it is increasingly clear that traditional approaches to climate mitigation and ocean conservation may not be enough. Emerging climate technologies, including marine carbon dioxide removal, have been proposed as potential pathways that could help restore ecological balance and support long-term climate goals. However, fragmented governance across climate, biodiversity, and ocean agreements have disincentivized the research needed to evaluate these options. 

This talk will examine how the absence of policy coherence is impacting our capacity to respond to the immense challenges posed by the ocean and climate crisis. Delays in research, development and demonstration are likely to hinder our understanding of the full risks and potential benefits of novel mCDR and climate intervention approaches. The continuing decline of marine ecosystems and the slow pace of decarbonization are creating catastrophic risk scenarios and leading to a heightened likelihood of surpassing of critical tipping points; this should be a call for action to rethink environmental protection policies. Aligning the objectives of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity, among others, is essential to create enabling conditions for climate innovation that ensures biodiversity and ecosystem health. 

To fulfill their obligation to protect the climate system (a duty recently affirmed by the ICJ), states should ensure alignment across policy domains to enable anticipatory action. This coherence should strive to remove barriers to action and reinforce the obligation to take all possible steps to safeguard and restore climate stability, including the exploration of advanced climate technologies. 

Biography

Leonardo Valenzuela Perez serves as the Director of International Partnerships at Ocean Visions, where he also leads the Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions (GEOS), a United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development program. He oversees the building of a global collaborative network exploring solutions to address climate change and improve ocean health in alignment with Sustainable Development Goals. Leonardo has spearheaded international climate justice efforts, collaborating with diverse multisector coalitions on issues like climate displacement and disaster planning. His work is rooted in accelerating safe, effective, and innovative ocean-climate solutions while advancing Indigenous rights and climate justice on a global scale. Leonardo is Chilean and holds a PhD in Human Geography from the University of Sydney.