Convention season is over–now let’s get to work

THE ARCTIC OCEAN’S express journey into the Anthropocene Epoch was marked by some notable global conferences this past fall. There were high and low points—and for better or worse, now it’s time to turn the resulting agreements into action.

First, the good news: on December 19, 2022, the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity concluded with a sweeping agreement by about 190 countries to halt and reverse nature loss within the next seven years. It is difficult to overstate its significance: this long- awaited achievement is critical for nature and our own survival.

But what does it mean for the Arctic?

Countries agreed to preserve 30 per cent of the Earth’s land and seas by 2030, which means the existing protected and conserved areas across the Arctic Ocean must increase about four-fold. The “30 x 30” target is ambitious, but there can be no waver- ing. Networks of such areas are critical for securing the resilience of marine biodiversity and ecosystems in the face of a rapidly changing ocean. These ambitions can only be achieved if implementation considers the rights and needs of Arctic Indigenous Peoples and the contributions of all Arctic Ocean users.

WWF is working to meet this challenge with ArcNet: an Arctic Ocean Network of Priority Areas for Conservation. ArcNet is designed to address the conservation needs of Arctic spaces and species and improve ecological connectivity while inviting collaboration, supporting co-production, and accelerating implementation.

Another positive moment occurred this fall with the successful inaugural Conference of Parties to the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement.

This ground-breaking agreement commits Arctic and non-Arctic fishing nations to a precautionary approach to fishing in almost three million square kilometres of international waters in the Central Arctic Ocean as melting sea ice makes the area more accessible.

The single-sector agreement strengthens Arctic Ocean governance and bolsters the resilience of biodiversity. But it must also be seen as a first step towards establishing integrated and equitable institutions that will sustainably manage the 70 per cent of Arctic sea and land areas that are not conserved for nature.

Unfortunately, other news this fall on the climate crisis front was much less positive. The Paris Agreement’s mission to limit global warming to 1.5°C is in jeopardy—and we are rapidly running out of time to avoid the loss of the Arctic’s unique multi-year sea ice ecosystem and associated biodiversity. Yet countries attending the 27th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in November made almost no progress on committing to necessary and ambitious greenhouse gas emission reductions.

Arctic countries that are party to both COP15 and COP27 must now ask themselves how the disappointing lack of necessary climate ambition will affect their commitment to halt the extinction of species under the Global Biodiversity Framework.

This issue of The Circle touches on an array of challenges facing the Arctic Ocean now—from acidification to plastic waste to melting glaciers and more. At the same time, researchers are studying the ocean’s chemistry, mapping its floor and monitoring new species.

Those who are working to understand and conserve the Arctic Ocean are in a race against time. With international agreements and targets secured after a busy fall of negotiating, it’s time to get started on implementation.