Climate Change & Role of Ocean

Online Summer School on “Climate Change and Role of Ocean” (on World Environment Day, 05th June 2023 #BeatPlasticPollution & World Ocean Day, 08th June 2023) to be organized by the GLOBAL SCIENCE ACADEMY (GSA), Basti (Uttar Pradesh) India. Students looking to make waves in the world of ocean sustainability are encouraged to participate.

PARTICIPATION IS FREE

· Theme Background:

World Environment Day (WED) #BeatPlasticPollution & World Ocean Day (WOD):

World Environment Day (WED), 05th June, this year (2023) marks its 50th anniversary and the theme is “Solutions to Plastic Pollution”. Along with the theme, the hashtag #BeatPlasticPollution will also be used. More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year worldwide, half of which is designed to be used only once. Of that, less than 10 per cent is recycled. An estimated 19-23 million tonnes end up in lakes, rivers and seas annually. Microplastics being tiny plastic particles up to 5mm in diameter – find their way into food, water and air. Discarded or burnt single-use plastic harms human health and biodiversity and pollutes every ecosystem from mountain tops to the ocean floor. In the line of UN agencies and others, Global Science Academy also request you all to join this drive during the commemoration of the 50th WED. Also, to focus on the importance of the ocean and the need to protect, the Global Science Academy, at its level, observe the World Ocean Day (WOD), 08th June 2023, through the UN World Oceans Day 2023 theme, “Planet Ocean: Tides are Changing”, and will ascertain how Earth is more than it may seem, and create a newer wave of anticipation towards apprizing and protecting the ocean and the wholeness of our blue planet.

Climate Change and Role of Ocean:

Global Science Academy firmly believe that the above cited significant Days’ observances will provide true dimension to this proposed summer school wherein “Climate Change and Role of Ocean” will be discussed along with themes of these two Days viz. WED & WOD.

Ocean cherishes incredible biodiversity i.e. around 80% of all life forms resides here. It is also being an imperative source of sustenance and livelihood because it produces food, mineral and energy for life as essential not only for survival and but for being flourished as well. Due to ever increasing demand for food in the current pandemic of corona-virus, ocean is optimism. The livelihood and lives of more than 3 billion people highly rely on marine and coastal biodiversity. Since ocean not only absorbs large amounts (around 25%) of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) but also produce more than 50 percent of the essential oxygen. Minute ocean flora i.e. phytoplankton, mostly exist near surface of the water and drift with its currents, contribute 50 to 85 percent of the oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere. Using carbon dioxide and sunlight to make their food during photosynthesis, these phytoplankton generate oxygen, as a byproduct, which is essential for animals’ breath including human beings. Ocean not only absorbs CO2 emissions but also captures around 90 percent of the heat generated from these emissions and safeguards the planet against the brunt of climate change; thereby help in placating SDG-13 as well. In the meetings of the UNFCC, to achieve the objectives of the 14th Sustainable Development Goal i.e. 'Life Below Water, ocean issues incorporated into the ‘NDCs’ and 'National Adaptation Plans (NAPs)' by the Member States. In August 2015, 193 countries had appropriately agreed on this. Also, the period from 2021 to 2030 declared in the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as ‘UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development' more particularly to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-14 in order to conserve and sustainably use oceans, seas as well as marine resources. More than 3/4th of the biodiversity exist in ocean. Coastal regions are specifically important both because of livelihood and other economic activities including tourism and transportation. The global ocean economic activity, per annum, is estimated between US$ 3 trillion to US$ 6 trillion contributing to the world economy i.e. ‘blue economy’. On the other hand, pollution, ocean-acidification, climate change etc. are creating turmoil in marine biochemistry and losses in its biodiversity, apprehending food and human welfare on the whole.

As the global average temperature rise is already 1.1°C and people around the world are facing a range of climate change impacts from droughts to floods and heat waves to superstorms that only the richest countries can cope with. Therefore, from the opening session of this climate change conference, the speakers not only recalled the important messages of climate science, but also the current geo-strategic challenges and energy and food, while underlining the devastating climate effects and expressed the common sentimentalities to act urgently. Pointing out their impact on ecosystems, stressed the exigent need to focus on implementation. Also, emphasis laid on the 'polluter-pays' principle for outlays of climate compensation by historical emitters of greenhouse gases. But still, on the issue of climate change, there seemed, rich nations’ wavering attitude in assisting developing and poor countries. The 27th Conference of the Parties (COP 27) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took place in November 2022 in the Egyptian coastal city of Sharm el-Sheikh, concluded with a historic decision to establish and operationalize a loss and damage fund.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that our planet is still in the emergency room and we need to drastically reduce emissions now and this is an issue this COP did not address. Warning that humanity is on a "highway to climate hell," he besought the world to act before it's too late. However, from the beginning, COP 27 has been driven by two overriding themes: justice and ambition. ‘Justice’ for those on the frontlines who did so little to cause the crisis and ‘Ambition’ to keep the 1.5 degree limit alive and pull humanity back from the climate cliff. Parties during the Ocean Action Day at COP 27, deliberated with due prominence, on significance of ocean to safeguard the planet in context of climate change.

Mitigation and adaptation discussions were centric in COPs until recently. United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change backed mitigation as reducing climate change by reducing the flow of heat-trapping greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, either by reducing sources of these gases or enhancing the ‘sinks’ that accumulate and store these gases e.g. oceans, forests, and soil. The ultimate aim is to stabilize greenhouse gas levels in a timeframe ample to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner. In addition, adaptation i.e. adapting to life in a changing climate which involves adjusting to actual or expected future climate. Here, the goal is to reduce risks from the harmful effects of climate change e.g. sea-level rise, extreme weather events, or food insecurity etc.

With the above background, the Global Science Academy (GSA) proposes to organize Online Summer School on Climate Change and Role of Ocean (on World Environment Day, 05th June 2023 & World Ocean Day, 08th June 2023).

DEADLINE EXTENDED till: 04th JUNE 2023

CERTIFICATES WILL BE ISSUED TO EACH PARTICIPANTS ON COMPLETION.

Hurry for Participation:Limited participation is being offered, which will be purely on 'first come and first serve' basis. PARTICIPATION IS FREE.

Further details including online link will be shared after hearing from you. Drop your email at: globalaps@rediffmail.com

GLOBAL CALL FOR EXPERTS to Volunteer (On these days 15 minutes’ Contributions of a few of the experts required free of cost. Further, they have chance to be included in our “global think-tank” on environment (please show your interest) and their names are likely to be featured by airing/publishing at our various platforms).

Email designated for all official correspondence is as follows:

globalaps@rediffmail.com