Reducing emissions and increasing ambition

A series of free, live, virtual events featuring a range of international and local experts, individuals, and communities who are passionate about ocean and climate change related themes relevant for the next UNFCCC Conference of the Parties – the blue COP25 – in Spain, 2-13 December 2019.

 

Next live event:

After the Blue COP: Breaking down COP25 and what’s next for the ocean and climate

An Ocean Conservancy Webinar
Tue, Dec 17, 2019 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM CET

Register HERE

BACKGROUND

The ocean is a key part of the climate system, and increasing recognition of this linkage is leading towards highlighting the role of the ocean at this year’s UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP) 25, taking place Spain, 2-13 December. COP25 will be an important venue for increasing ambition for the ocean and climate – and all of us. But not everyone can attend the COP, given the fact that there are limited opportunities to engage in this debate directly; and not everyone should attend the COP, given the massive CO₂ emissions associated with traveling to international meetings. But engagement in the global climate debate, and raising the profile of the ocean, matters to everyone.

Have you been wondering what #VirtualBlueCOP25 is all about?

We offer you a free pass to COP25. Surprised? Yes, #VirtualBlueCOP25 is a series of virtual free live events featuring a range of international and local experts, climate negotiators, and communities who are passionate about ocean and climate change related themes relevant for the blue COP25 in Spain.

Knowing that every tenth degree of ocean warming puts huge stress on marine ecosystems, #VirtualBlueCOP25 is a low carbon event using modern technology to maximize opportunities for participation, while reducing emissions and increasing ambitions.

We want you to have fun while learning about ocean and climate change actions around the world. Different from the traditional insipid ways of fly-in conferencing, #VirtualBlueCOP25 will go the extra mile offering an array of interactive sessions in various formats.

#VirtualBlueCOP25 gets you closer to the international ocean and climate negotiations than you have ever been – without cost and low carbon emissions. We will provide regular updates from and insights into the ongoing negotiations at COP25.

A dose of something different can do the magic! With just one click, #VirtualBlueCOP25 brings to your door steps a diverse range of viewpoints and virtual events on ocean/climate challenges and solutions from the perspectives of scientists, activists, market wo(men), commendians, farmers, artists, decision makers, musicians, etc.

A move beyond fly-in COP25 events. Led by visionary Early Career Researchers, #VirtualBlueCOP25 promises to look at the future of ecosystems and is committed to furthering the conversations pertinent about ocean and climate change interplays.

Serve as a model among your friends and family – be the first to actively participate in the global movement to save our climate by avoiding to fly. #VirtualBlueCOP25 makes this step so easy for you!

AGENDA

Upcoming live events:

Subscribe to our mailing list to be informed and stay tuned on our next live events

Past events:

The Ocean Day, December 7th 2019
All webinars and descriptions: HERE
All replays available HERE

Champions of change: towards a climate, ocean and gender justice, November, 29th 2019
Watch the replay: https://youtu.be/XaeIOHeEOSo

‘Oceanizing’ the Climate Negociations, November 20th 2019
Watch the replay: https://youtu.be/V8j0HJilUR8

Ecosystem-based ocean management solutions for climate change mitigationNovember 15th 2019
Watch the replay: https://youtu.be/nUZwKCen5mQ

Communicating  on ocean health & climate impact, November 6th 2019
Watch the replay: https://youtu.be/ZQTzIVT9r7I

The flying-less movement, October 30th 2019
Watch the replay: https://youtu.be/yWas9U4Q_BM

IPCC experts comment the release of the SROCC, September 27th 2019
Watch the replay: https://youtu.be/Wucwdrx5tS0

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

SEPT. 27 | #VirtualBlueCOP25: from the SROCC release in Monaco to the COP25!

Jean-Pierre Gattuso

Dr Jean-Pierre Gattuso is CNRS Research Professor at Sorbonne University and Associate Scientist at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations. He studies the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems and the services they provide to society, and ocean-based solutions. He contributed to IPCC AR5, Special Report on 1.5°C of Warming and the Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere (SROCC).

Nathalie Hilmi

Dr Nathalie Hilmi is an expert in Macroeconomics and International Finance. She is a member of several international associations in economics and finance (elected board member of the Middle East Economic Association). She is lead author for IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC). She was reviewer for the Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C and for the Special Report on Climate Change and Land.

Phillip Williamson

Dr Phil Williamson works for the UK Natural Environment Research Council as a programme Science Coordinator. He has authored two reports on climate geoengineering for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and has also co-authored reports on ocean fertilization for the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO), and on ocean acidification for OSPAR and the CBD.  He has participated in several Conferences of Parties and is a lead author for the SROCC.

OCT. 30 | The flying-less movement

Lisa Jacobson

Lisa Jacobson works as science officer at Future Earth, Sweden. She has a background in journalism and science communications and holds a MSc in social-ecological resilience from Stockholm Resilience Centre. Her MSc thesis is an interview study focusing on individuals who reduce flying in the face of climate change and the drivers and barriers in this process of behavioural change.

Isabel Seeger

Isabel Seeger is a master’s student in Environmental Policy & Politics at Sciences Po Paris and FU Berlin. She is part of the home team of the ‘Sail to the COP’ project: 36 environmental activists sailing to the UN Climate Conference to put aviation on the climate agenda and call for fair and sustainable travel solutions. 

Kimberly Nicholas

Kimberly is an Associate Professor of Sustainability Science and Director of PhD Studies at the Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies (LUCSUS) in Lund, Sweden. She studies the connections between people, land, and climate, most specifically how to manage land and resources to support a good life for everyone alive today, and leave a thriving planet for future generations, especially through rapidly and fairly transforming towards a zero greenhouse gas emissions society.

Kim Cobb

Kim Cobb’s research uses observations of past and present climate to advance our understanding of future climate change impacts. She received her B.A. from Yale University and her Ph.D. in Oceanography from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography before joining the Georgia Tech faculty. Kim is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion in science, as well as individual and collective action on climate change.

NOV. 6 | Communicating on ocean health & climate impact

Ella Marshall

As Creative Director of Love For The Streets, Ella Marshall runs a Social Change Platform that connects young people and brands with social issues. By turning online engagement into offline action, Love For The Streets creates social impact in communities by running volunteer programmes to help local causes and create an accessible route for young people to make positive change. 

Jane Lubchenco

Jane Lubchenco is an environmental scientist and marine ecologist who teaches and does research at Oregon State University. Her research interests include interactions between the environment and human well-being, biodiversity, climate change, and sustainable use of oceans and the planet. From 2009 to 2013, she served as Administrator of NOAA and Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. She was later invited by President Obama to serve on his ‘science team’.

Natalie Hart

Natalie has eight years of experience developing and implementing strategic communications and research campaigns in complex operating environments. She has been involved in a range of capacity building projects to help CSOs use communications to achieve their goals.

Sophie Hulme

Sophie has more than 15 years’ experience of media and communications consulting for the NGO sector and is a co-founder of Communications INC, specialising in strategic advice, campaign management and business development. She spent a number of years in feature film production.

NOV. 15 | Ecosystem-based ocean management solutions for climate change mitigation

Angelique Pouponneau

Angelique is a lawyer (Seychelles and UK) and she holds an LLM in Environmental law specializing in the law of the sea and natural resources law. Angelique has worked in different countries in the Caribbean, Pacific and the Indian Ocean on a wide-range of projects relating sustainable fisheries, sustainable management of marine, and climate change, in particular, climate adaptation and climate finance.

Kemal Pınarbaşı

Kemal Pınarbaşı is a PhD researcher at AZTI Tecnalia in Spain. His research focuses on decision support tools and their application for marine spatial planning and human activities such as fishery, renewable energy and aquaculture. He has an Erasmus Mundus Master’s degree in Maritime Spatial Planning and he has several academic publications in international journals and publishers.

Jungho Nam

Dr. Nam, Jungho has been working at Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) since 1996, which is a government-affiliated research entity under the Prime Minister’s Office. His researches cover integrated coastal planning, climate change adaptation, marine environment management, marine ecosystem protection, coastal conflict resolution, transboundary marine environmental affairs, official development assistance, marine science and technology application.

Catarina Frazão Santos

Catarina Frazão Santos is a Research Scientist and Lecturer at the University of Lisbon and NOVA-SBE. With a background in Marine Biology and Environmental Management, she has conducted research on sustainable MSP and ocean policy for many years. She is now coordinating a research project on how MSP can be affected by/adapt to Climate Change (OCEANPLAN) that counts with an international team of renowned scientists.

NOV. 20 | ‘Oceanizing’ the Climate Negociations

Yassir Eddebbar

Yassir Eddebbar is a postdoctoral scholar at the Center for Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. He has worked on understanding the coupling of the oceanic oxygen and carbon cycles to climate. Currently, he is focused on improving our understanding of how climate and ocean circulation impacts marine ecosystems habitats at the regional scale, with a particular focus on Oxygen Minimum Zones. 

Loreley Picourt

Loreley Picourt is the Head of Policy and International Affairs at the Ocean & Climate Platform. As a strong advocate for multilateral cooperation, she works for a better integration of the ocean-climate-biodiversity nexus in decision-making at the national and international levels. She also coordinates the Ocean & Climate Initiatives Alliance (OCIA), which promotes ocean-based solutions for climate mitigation and adaptation

Champions of change: towards a climate, ocean and gender justice

Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood

Dr Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood is a research consultant for One Earth Future – Stable Seas and a Visiting Fellow at the Centre for Strategic Research and Studies, Nigerian Defence College, Abuja. Her research centres around the blue economy & maritime security and their  interconnectedness with human/national and regional security in West and Central Africa. 

Frances Roberts Gregory

Frances Roberts-Gregory is an ecowomanist ethnographer and PhD Candidate in Society & Environment at UC Berkeley. She is also a founding member of the Feminist Agenda for a Green New Deal. Her research explores women of color, environmental racism and state-corporate crime in Louisiana.

Kalyani Bhagabani

Kalyani works as Strategy and Planning Officer at Science for Society Technologies, India. She holds a MSc in Computational and Analytical Chemistry from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. Currently, she is managing multi-disciplinary projects with distinct emphasis on onboarding women entrepreneurs for on-ground implementation of UN Award-winning Solar Conduction Dryers.

ORGANISATION TEAM

Soeren Thomsen

Soeren is a Marie Curie PostDoc fellow at LOCEAN/IPSL/Sorbonne University in Paris. For his interdisciplinary research he carries out observations and performs numerical simulations focusing on the Peruvian and West African upwelling system. He founded the virtual communication platform “EBUS Webinars” and is in charge of developing the strategy for the #VirtualBlueCOP25.

Ibukun Jacob Adewumi

Ibukun is a trans-disciplinary specialist employing broader theories of socio-economic and environmental management to assess and promote sustainability in Blue Economy, Marine Spatial Planning, ICZM, and general Ocean Governance. He is presently the Liaison Officer (West Africa) for the World Ocean Council, and a PhD student at the National University of Ireland Galway. Ibukun is involved in facilitating and designing strategies related to Integrated Ocean Management for the #VirtualBlueCOP25.

Hannah Moersberger

Hannah is the lead of capacity building for and with early careers at Future Earth, Paris. She is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Global Sustainability Scholars programme and coordinator of the Natural Assets Knowledge-Action Network. Hannah helps develop the strategy and implementation of the #VirtualBlueCOP25 events.

Maria Jose Martinez Harms

Maria is a conservation scientist and a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre of Applied Ecology and Sustainability in Chile. She is interested in strengthening the dialogue between ecosystem services assessments and conservation decision-making. Maria is the co-chair of the Future Earth Natural Assets KAN development team, an interdisciplinary group of researchers and practitioners working to facilitate and enable action-oriented research towards global sustainability. 

Luisa Fernanda Sarmiento

Luisa is a Master student of Sustainability in Kiel (Germany). She has a background in Environmental Biology with a wildlife specialization (Montreal, Canada). She has worked in environmental research, but also in waste management and knowledge transfer of indigenous communities. She is in charge of social media, outreach, and content design for the #VirtualBlueCOP25 and will take us virtually on a research cruise in November.

Axel Bertrand

Axel is an engineering student at ENSTA Bretagne, Brest, where he learns about hydrography and oceanography. Thanks to his involvement in student clubs and associations, he has a background in project management. During his time at Future Earth / LOCEAN in Paris, he will be in charge of solving technical challenges for the #VirtualBlueCOP25.

Charline Guillou

Charline Guillou, is in charge of the communication of the Ocean University Initiative. Specialized in matters of communication related to the marine environment, she appreciates particularly to work on the interface between science and policy with the aim of promoting more sustainable maritime activities. As part of the Ocean Univ team, with Joëlle and Denis based in Brest, they will support the Core Team in the global communication and organization of the #VirtualBlueCOP25.

Oghenekevwe Christopher Oghenechovwen

Kevwe studies at the Department of Meteorology and Climate Science, Federal University of Technology Akure, Nigeria. He has experience in the environmental and development space, with emphasis on youth engagement, and the ocean-climate science and policy interface. Oghenekevwe is also on the Ocean KAN Development Team, and for the #VirtualBlueCOP25, he is sourcing local content from Nigeria and West Africa.

Bleuenn Guilloux

Dr. Bleuenn Guilloux is a postdoctoral research associate within the Cluster of Excellence “The Future Ocean” at the Walther Schücking Institute for International Law. Based on an interdisciplinary approach, she explores how to improve existing international ocean and climate legal frameworks

Nour Meshref

Nour is currently a Master 2 student in Climate, Environment, Applications, and Research: Arctic Studies (STePe) at the University of Paris-Saclay, France. She also has another Master 2 in Biorefinery & Renewable Energies from ENSCL, France, and a Master 1 in Environmental & Physical Chemistry. Her Bachelor studies are in Chemistry. She has worked on microalgae research, in the interface between microbiology and analytical chemistry. She was in charge of content update of the Facebook page and the #VirtualBlueCOP25 website.

PARTNERS

You want to become a partner by creating and designing content before or during the COP25? Get in contact with us at virtualbluecop25@futureearth.org