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Ocean & Climate Nexus

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Frontline communities hold the knowledge and bear the costs

The ocean and climate crises are inseparable. The ocean regulates our climate, absorbs our carbon, and sustains the communities most exposed to warming — yet remains chronically under-represented in international climate negotiations.
RISE UP’s strategic intent is to accelerate equitable, just and effective ocean-climate action by positioning ocean-dependent communities as essential actors in national and global climate governance.

Ocean-climate policy is shaped through highly technical negotiation processes under the UNFCCC and national climate frameworks. Communities most affected by climate impacts often face structural barriers to participation in these arenas.
A scuba diver swimming above an expanse of bleached white staghorn coral.
90%
of global warming's excess heat is absorbed by the ocean — making it the world's primary climate buffer
Why It Matters

A climate crisis is already an ocean crisis

The ocean is central to the climate system and to the lives and livelihoods of coastal and ocean-dependent communities. Yet ocean priorities and perspectives are still not consistently reflected in climate and energy transition policies.

As governments accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels, how that transition happens matters. Without strong safeguards and meaningful participation, climate and energy policies risk reinforcing existing inequalities, creating new pressures on ocean space, and excluding the communities most directly affected.

A just transition requires stronger connections between ocean, climate, and energy policy and space for coastal communities, Indigenous Peoples, small-scale fishers, and other ocean actors to shape the decisions that affect them.
What We're Doing

Bringing ocean priorities into climate and energy policy

Through the Ocean & Climate Cluster, RISE UP works with members, partners, governments, and technical experts to strengthen the role of ocean priorities in climate and energy transition policies.
Our work focuses on:
  • Convening coastal communities, Indigenous Peoples, civil society, governments, and experts around shared ocean-climate priorities.
  • Translating priorities and experience into policy briefs and inputs for climate negotiations.
  • Building understanding of UNFCCC processes and opportunities for engagement.
  • Supporting strategic advocacy and participation in key climate and policy forums.
  • Convening targeted dialogues on fossil fuel phase-out, responsible decommissioning, and a just transition for ocean dependent communities.
  • Working with government partners to identify practical policy approaches and strengthen collaboration around ocean-climate action.
This work will initially bring together a small group of government partners and ocean actors to test approaches, identify shared priorities, and develop practical examples of how ocean considerations can be better integrated into climate and energy transition policy.

RISE UP in action

RISE UP IN ACTION

Road to COP31: From Knowledge to Advocacy

September–October 2026 · Ocean & Climate Cluster
Ahead of COP31, RISE UP is convening a capacity-building series with members of the Ocean & Climate Cluster to strengthen understanding of the UNFCCC and connect global climate negotiations with the priorities of ocean and coastal communities.

Across seven sessions, members are exploring key areas of ocean-climate policy, from the UNFCCC and the Blue Package Deal to just transition, fossil-free oceans, climate finance, adaptation, mitigation, and pathways for engagement at COP31 and beyond.

The series combines technical expertise with community knowledge, peer exchange, and practical advocacy development. Members will work together to identify shared priorities and translate them into policy asks, speaking points, advocacy strategies and other tools that can be used in national and international climate processes.

The aim goes beyond participation at COP31. The series is designed to build longer-term pathways for members to engage with climate policy and implementation, from NDCs and NAPs to climate finance, just transition, and wider UNFCCC processes, and support connections between international decisions and action at the national and community levels.

Want to learn more about the Ocean & Climate Cluster or the Road to COP31?
Contact us
RISE UP IN ACTION

RISE UP COP30 Fellowship

2026 · Caribbean
The RISE UP COP30 Fellowship supported four frontline leaders to participate meaningfully in COP30, the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP30) held in Belém, Brazil. The fellowship was designed to ensure that Indigenous peoples, youth leaders, coastal communities and marine conservation practitioners could actively contribute to international climate negotiations and help shape global climate and ocean policy.

Representing Brazil and the Caribbean, our COP30 Fellows brought community-led solutions to the forefront of discussions on climate change, ocean conservation, biodiversity, climate justice and the blue economy. Throughout the conference, they organized events, spoke on international panels, engaged with policymakers, built strategic partnerships and amplified the voices of frontline communities in both the Blue Zone and Green Zone.
Meet the COP30 Fellows
RISE UP IN ACTION

RISE UP COP30 Fellowship

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Join the organizations shaping ocean policy

Network membership is open to civil society organizations, community groups, foundations, and research institutions. Members gain access to advocacy resources, policy platforms, collective campaigns, and a global community of ocean justice advocates.
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