Here at the Ocean Conservation Trust, we aim to be a voice for the Ocean. That means bringing the Ocean into spaces where it can be overlooked – and this happens more often than you’d think. As such, we were thrilled to partner up with Communications Inc and the Centre for Ocean Literacy Collaboration in an effort to integrate the Ocean into the Culture Global Stocktake for Climate Action (CGS).
What is the Culture Global Stocktake for Climate Action?
The CGS is based on the concept of a “Global Stocktake,” which is the process of assessing the progress that’s been made towards the goals of the Paris Climate Accord. The CGS (which is being spearheaded by the Entertainment + Culture Pavilion with funding from the Youth Climate Justice Fund) is doing a similar thing, but focusing on how culture contributes to climate action and how cultural considerations can be better integrated into international climate policy.
The CGS looks to highlight the role of arts, heritage, creative industries, Indigenous knowledge, and cultural practices in shaping climate awareness, resilience, adaptation, and behavioural change. The initiative recognizes culture as an important but all-too-frequently overlooked driver of climate action and seeks to strengthen the evidence supporting its inclusion in international climate policymaking and decision-making.
The goal is to ensure that culture is recognised not only as something affected by climate change but also as a resource that can support more effective, equitable, and locally grounded climate solutions. Ultimately, the initiative seeks to embed cultural perspectives more firmly within global climate governance frameworks.
Why we joined Communications Inc in responding
People and organizations from across the globe contributed to the first two drafts of the CGS (which you can read here). Following its publication, its authors sought for further comments and responses. As such Communications Inc enlisted OCT and the Centre for Ocean Literacy Collaboration to submit a written response, which makes the case for more Ocean integration throughout the document and suggests ways to go about this. The response also recommended a dedicated Ocean-focused consultation to ensure a full breadth of voices are heard.
Communications Inc were inspired to write the response as part of their project Advancing Strategic Ocean Communication. On their website they wrote: “We believe that engaging the arts, creative and cultural sectors is a vital way of engaging audiences and building the personal, emotional connections with the ocean that climate action depends upon. The ocean absorbs over 90% of the excess heat generated by greenhouse gas emissions and between 20 and 30% of human-generated carbon dioxide, yet it remains absent from much of the public conversation around climate. For many people, and particularly those living inland, the ocean is simply distant and abstract. At the same time, the communities most at risk from climate change are often those whose cultural identities, knowledge systems and livelihoods are most deeply rooted in their relationship with the sea.”
Ocean-based climate action begins with culture
We at the Ocean Conservation Trust feel the exact same way, which is why we joined them in co-authoring the response. A big part of our work as Ocean advocates is reminding people that the Ocean is inextricably linked to climate regulation, and that marine conservation is a fundamental part of tackling climate change.
What a lot of people don’t realise is that you don’t have to be engaged in habitat restoration or species recovery to be playing a part in marine conservation; behaviour changes are equally as important, and those start with education and culture.
Our response submitted for the CGS states “Perhaps the most distinctive contribution the CGST can make is to establish culture as a vehicle for building the ocean-society relationship that climate action depends upon. Around 40% of the global population lives within 100km of the coastline, yet for most people the ocean remains distant and abstract. Two-thirds of the world’s ocean lies in the High Seas, beyond national jurisdiction and beyond most people’s sense of responsibility. For many people the ocean is simply out of sight and out of mind.”
If we can help to build cultural connections to the Ocean, we can take a step toward Ocean-friendly behaviours, which in turn means a step toward climate stability.
You can read the full response on Communication Inc’s website, here.