Photo by Samuel Costa Melo
COP30 in Belém, Brazil, elevated the ocean, bringing it closer to the heart of the global climate agenda, but the deep sea representing roughly 90% of the ocean stayed buried in the margins, with the world’s biggest natural carbon sink not receiving mention in the final decision texts.
Brazil announced today at COP30 that it will sustainably manage all 3.68 million km² of its national waters by 2030 and joined the Ocean Panel as its 19th member. President Lula da Silva stated: “without the ocean, we cannot truly confront climate change”.
France and Brazil unveiled the Blue NDC Implementation Taskforce, transforming the Blue NDC Challenge into a delivery mechanism. The initiative aims to accelerate the integration of ocean-based solutions into national climate plans through mobilising political leadership, technical expertise and investment.
Seventeen countries committed to including ocean in updated climate plans, with six new members joining the Blue NDC Challenge: Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Indonesia, Portugal and Singapore. Loreley Picourt, Executive Director of the Ocean & Climate Platform, stated the initiative provides “clear roadmap for moving from the global ambition of ocean advancements to concrete implementation on the ground”.
Research shows ocean-based climate solutions can deliver up to 35% of the emissions reductions needed to keep 1.5°C within reach. A new analysis released at COP30 by the World Resources Institute, Ocean Conservancy and Ocean & Climate Platform found that 61 of 66 recently submitted Nationally Determined Contributions from coastal and island nations now include at least one ocean-related measure, representing 92% of submissions, up from 73% in 2022 and 62% in 2015.
However, ocean-based mitigation strategies remain underrepresented, making up only 12% of all measures to combat climate change. Anna-Marie Laura, Senior Director of Climate Policy at Ocean Conservancy, noted: “there’s a huge gap between the promise of ocean-climate solutions and the pace at which we are adopting them”.
Deep-sea ecosystems, making up more than 90% of the ocean, were overlooked during COP30. Sian Owen, Executive Director of the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition, stated: “COP30 brought the ocean closer to the heart of the climate agenda, but governments must be far braver and bolder to meet their climate obligations and keep the 1.5°C target alive.”
Owen continued: “climate action begins in the deep” and called for world leaders to “say a definitive ‘no’ to deep-sea mining, and fully and finally protect seamounts” from destructive bottom trawling in 2026. A new scientific report published during COP30 reveals the mounting impacts of the climate crisis on deep-sea ecosystems in the Arctic.
Surfers Against Sewage criticised the final agreement for containing no commitment to phase out fossil fuels. Ruby, the organisation’s Plastic Pollution Policy Officer, described this as “a glaring failure”, noting that plastics are “overwhelmingly derived from oil and gas, meaning that as long as fossil-fuel extraction and production continue, plastic pollution and climate change will continue unchecked”.
The organisation stated that countries and interests tied to fossil fuels “exerted disproportionate influence over the final text”, with petrostates and fossil-fuel lobbyists successfully blocking stronger action.
Brazil committed to ratifying the High Seas Treaty (BBNJ Agreement) by year’s end. The treaty establishes the legal architecture for establishing Marine Protected Areas in international waters, bringing governance to two-thirds of the world’s ocean that currently lacks it. The treaty entered into force in January 2026 after reaching 60 ratifications in September 2025.
Despite growing recognition of ocean-based solutions, financial commitments remain inadequate. SDG 14, the ocean goal, receives only 0.01% of all development funding. Ocean-related climate finance continues to account for less than 1% of global flows.
COP30 produced some positive outcomes including nations pledging to triple funding for climate adaptation by 2035. The Ocean Breakthroughs Dashboard was launched at COP30 to track tangible progress against the Ocean Breakthroughs, marking a step toward bridging the gap between political ambition and measurable implementation.