Tapping the potential of blue carbon
In December 2023, the 28th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) concluded in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, with a landmark agreement, named The UAE Consensus, covering a wide range of topics such as the Global Stocktake, mitigation, adaptation, finance, loss and damage and international cooperation. According to The UAE Consensus, to limit global warming to 1.5 C by the end of this century requires deep, rapid and sustained reductions in global greenhouse gas emissions of 43 percent by 2030 and 60 percent by 2035 relative to the 2019 level. During COP28 climate talks, 130 countries signed the Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge, and 50 large oil and gas companies signed the Oil and Gas Decarbonization Charter to accelerate climate action. However, even if everyone delivered on their commitments, it would lower global energy related greenhouse gas emissions by only 4 billion metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2030, which is about one-third of the emissions gap that needs to be closed in the next six years to limit warming to 1.5 C above pre-industrial levels, as agreed to in the 2015 Paris Agreement, according to the International Energy Agency. In sharp contrast, the global average temperature has been climbing. The global average temperature for 2022 was 1.16 C above the pre-industrial baseline. According to reports, the year 2023 has been confirmed as the hottest year on record. Meanwhile, the average atmospheric carbon dioxide levels climbed to over 410 parts per million in 2022. In fact, the last time atmospheric carbon dioxide amounts were this high was more than 3 million years ago, when the global surface temperature was about 5 C warmer than it is now and the sea level was 10 to 20 meters higher than it is now. Given that global warming of over 1.1 C poses serious threats to humanity's sustainable development, it is imperative that we take strong action to cut carbon emissions in the face of 1.5 C or even higher temperature rise. However, emissions reduction alone can hardly address the current climate crisis. We should attach greater importance to ocean-based climate solutions and tap the huge potential of oceans and ocean ecosystems as carbon sinks. The critical role of the oceans has been under-appreciated. Covering more than two-thirds of the Earth's surface, the oceans are a major component of the climate system, storing water, heat, carbon dioxide, and moving them around the Earth, and exchanging these and other elements with the atmosphere. Storing around 84 percent of the Earth's carbon, the oceans are the planet's largest carbon reservoir. Since the Industrial Revolution, the world's oceans have absorbed 93 percent of the excess heat from human-induced warming and over 25 percent of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by human activities. As the largest carbon sink, the ocean plays a critical role in achieving the carbon neutrality goal. The ocean provides a slew of solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and help human beings achieve the carbon neutrality goal. The solutions include conserving, restoring and managing coastal wetland blue carbon ecosystems (blue forests); shrinking the carbon footprint of marine industries such as the shipping industry to the utmost extent; enhancing offshore carbon storage capacity and strengthening the ocean's productivity to increase its carbon absorptive capacity; and steering fishery production and aquatic product consumption toward low-carbon development. According to a report from the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy in 2019, ocean-based climate action could deliver one-fifth of the emissions cuts needed to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 C, equivalent to emissions from all the current coal-fired power plants world-wide. According to a new report commissioned by the panel in September 2023, the oceans can deliver up to 35 percent of the emissions reductions needed by 2050 to keep warming to 1.5 C. In addition to advancing carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, ocean-based climate solutions will also create job opportunities and foster a number of new marine industries, providing long-lasting impetus for sustainable economic growth. Goods and services from coastal and marine environments amount to about $2.5 trillion each year that would put the ocean as the seventh largest economy in the world in terms of GDP. China is an important participant in the production, consumption and trade of marine products. The output of China's marine industry totaled 9.46 trillion yuan ($1.32 trillion) in 2022, accounting for 7.8 percent of the country's GDP, which remained the same as last year. China has been a world leader in aquaculture and ship manufacturing, accounting for around 58 percent of the world's total aquaculture products in 2020 and 45 percent of gross tonnage of ships in 2022 respectively. In 2021, China added 16.9 million kilowatts of offshore wind turbines, 5.5 times that of the previous year, topping the world in accumulative wind turbine installed capacity. Looking ahead, countries should elevate the development of a sustainable blue economy to be a national strategic goal and make it an important pathway to their carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. To start with, a comprehensive assessment should be made of all marine technologies around the world, particularly the application of digital technologies, so as to support the sustainable growth and advance the carbon neutrality of the blue economy. Policies and measures such as preferential tax regimes, supporting industries, support for business startups, and talent introduction and cultivation policies should be adopted to encourage and support the development of marine technologies, in particular digital technologies for the blue economy and carbon neutrality, in an attempt to advance large-scale industrial application of these emerging new technologies. Second, management of the oceans should be improved by coordinating ecological, social and economic targets. A multilayer, comprehensive ocean management system that covers central and local authorities should be established from a complex ecosystem perspective that factors in social, economic and natural targets. Third, a framework and indexes should be established to conduct a comprehensive accounting of sustainability outcomes and social and economic outcomes, and to beef up financial support for a sustainable global blue economy. China should update its Green Industry Guidance Directory and the green financial system to assess the necessity of building a new framework for "blue finance". Financial institutions should be encouraged to roll out more diversified financial products to support the low carbon transition of the ocean economy. Government guidance funds should also play a bigger role in advancing the green transition of the blue economy.
Mkutano wa 28 wa Mkutano wa Vyama vya Mkataba wa Umoja wa Mataifa juu ya Mabadiliko ya Hali ya Hewa (COP28) ulifanyika mnamo Desemba 2023 huko Dubai, UAE, na makubaliano ya kihistoria, yaliyoitwa Mkataba wa UAE, unaofunika mada mbalimbali kama vile Utafiti wa Ulimwenguni, Kupunguza, Kubadilisha, Fedha, Hasara na Utaratibu. "Kwa mujibu wa ""The UAE Consensus,"" kupunguza joto la dunia hadi 1.5C mwishoni mwa karne hii inahitaji kupunguzwa kwa kina, haraka na kudumu kwa uzalishaji wa gesi za chafu duniani kwa asilimia 43 ifikapo 2030 na asilimia 60 ifikapo 2035 ikilinganishwa na kiwango cha 2019." Katika mkutano wa COP28, nchi 130 ziliingia kwenye ahadi ya kimataifa ya nishati mbadala na ufanisi wa nishati, na makampuni 50 makubwa ya mafuta na gesi yalitia saini Mkataba wa Decarbonization ya Mafuta na Gesi ili kuharakisha hatua za hali ya hewa. Hata hivyo, hata kama kila mtu angekamilisha ahadi zake, itapunguza uzalishaji wa gesi za chafu zinazohusiana na nishati kwa tani bilioni 4 tu za kaboni dioksidi ya usawa katika 2030, ambayo ni karibu theluthi moja ya pengo la uzalishaji ambalo linahitaji kufungwa katika miaka sita ijayo ili kupunguza joto hadi 1.5C juu ya viwango vya kabla ya viwanda, kama ilivyokubaliwa katika Mkataba wa Paris wa 2015. Kinyume chake, wastani wa joto duniani umekuwa ukiongezeka. Kiwango cha joto cha wastani wa dunia kwa mwaka 2022 kilikuwa 1.16C juu ya kiwango cha msingi cha kabla ya viwanda. Kulingana na ripoti, mwaka wa 2023 umethibitishwa kuwa mwaka wa joto zaidi kuwahi kurekodiwa. Kiwango cha wastani cha kaboni dioksidi katika anga kiliongezeka hadi zaidi ya sehemu 410 kwa milioni mwaka 2022. Kwa kweli, mara ya mwisho kiasi cha kaboni dioksidi katika angahewa kilikuwa juu kama hii ilikuwa zaidi ya miaka milioni 3 iliyopita, wakati joto la uso wa dunia lilikuwa karibu 5C joto kuliko ilivyo sasa na kiwango cha bahari kilikuwa mita 10 hadi 20 juu kuliko ilivyo sasa. Kwa kuwa ongezeko la joto duniani la zaidi ya 1.1C lina hatari kubwa kwa maendeleo endelevu ya binadamu, ni muhimu kuchukua hatua kali za kupunguza uzalishaji wa kaboni katika hali ya kuongezeka kwa joto la 1.5C au zaidi. Hata hivyo, kupunguza uzalishaji peke yake haiwezi kushughulikia mgogoro wa sasa wa hali ya hewa. """Tunapaswa kuipa umuhimu mkubwa kwa suluhisho la hali ya hewa la bahari na kutumia uwezo mkubwa wa bahari na mifumo ya ikolojia ya bahari kama sinks ya kaboni." Jukumu muhimu la bahari limepuuzwa. Bahari hufunika zaidi ya theluthi mbili ya uso wa dunia, na ni sehemu muhimu ya mfumo wa hali ya hewa, kuhifadhi maji, joto, kaboni dioksidi, na kuzisafirisha kuzunguka dunia, na kubadilishana hizi na vitu vingine na anga. Kwa kuwa bahari huhifadhi karibu asilimia 84 ya kaboni duniani, ni hifadhi kubwa zaidi ya kaboni duniani. Tangu mapinduzi ya viwanda, bahari za dunia zimepitisha asilimia 93 ya joto la ziada kutokana na ongezeko la joto linalotokana na shughuli za binadamu na zaidi ya asilimia 25 ya kaboni dioksidi inayotokana na shughuli za binadamu. Kama sinki kubwa zaidi ya kaboni, bahari ina jukumu muhimu katika kufikia lengo la kutokuwepo na kaboni. Bahari hutoa suluhisho nyingi za kupunguza athari za mabadiliko ya hali ya hewa, na kusaidia wanadamu kufikia lengo la kutokuwepo na kaboni. Suluhisho ni pamoja na kuhifadhi, kurejesha na kusimamia mazingira ya kaboni ya bluu ya maeneo ya pwani (misitu ya bluu), kupunguza alama ya kaboni ya viwanda vya baharini kama vile usafirishaji, kuongeza uwezo wa kuhifadhi kaboni na kuimarisha uzalishaji wa bahari ili kuongeza uwezo wake wa kunyonya kaboni, na kuongoza uzalishaji wa samaki na matumizi ya bidhaa za majini kuelekea maendeleo ya kaboni. Kulingana na ripoti ya Jopo la Ngazi ya Juu kwa Uchumi wa Bahari ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo ya Maendeleo. Kulingana na ripoti mpya iliyoagizwa na jopo mnamo Septemba 2023, bahari zinaweza kutoa hadi 35% ya upungufu wa uzalishaji unaohitajika kufikia 2050 ili kuweka joto hadi 1.5C. Kwa kuongezea kuendeleza malengo ya kiwango cha juu cha kaboni na kutokuwepo kwa kaboni, suluhisho za hali ya hewa za bahari pia zitaunda fursa za kazi na kukuza viwanda vipya vya baharini, kutoa msukumo wa kudumu kwa ukuaji wa uchumi. Bidhaa na huduma kutoka kwa mazingira ya pwani na baharini zina thamani ya dola bilioni 2.5 kila mwaka, ambayo itaweka bahari kama uchumi wa saba kwa ukubwa ulimwenguni kwa suala la Pato la Taifa. China ni mshiriki muhimu katika uzalishaji, matumizi na biashara ya bidhaa za baharini. Uzalishaji wa sekta ya baharini ya China ulifikia jumla ya yuan trilioni 9.46 (USD 1.32 trilioni) mnamo 2022, ikilinganishwa na asilimia 7.8 ya Pato la Taifa, ambayo ilibaki sawa na mwaka jana. China imekuwa kiongozi wa ulimwengu katika ufugaji wa samaki na utengenezaji wa meli, ikishiriki karibu asilimia 58 ya jumla ya bidhaa za ufugaji wa samaki ulimwenguni mnamo 2020 na asilimia 45 ya jumla ya meli mnamo 2022. Mwaka 2021, China iliongeza kilowati milioni 16.9 za turbine za upepo za pwani, mara 5.5 ya mwaka uliopita, ikiongoza ulimwengu katika uwezo wa jumla wa turbine za upepo zilizowekwa. Kwa mtazamo wa siku zijazo, nchi zinapaswa kuinua maendeleo ya uchumi wa bluu endelevu kuwa lengo la kimkakati la kitaifa na kuifanya kuwa njia muhimu ya kufikia malengo yao ya kiwango cha juu cha kaboni na usawa wa kaboni. "Kwanza, tathmini ya kina inapaswa kufanywa ya teknolojia zote za baharini ulimwenguni kote, haswa matumizi ya teknolojia za dijiti, ili kuunga mkono ukuaji endelevu na kuendeleza ""kutokuwepo kwa kaboni"" kwa uchumi wa bluu." """Sera na hatua kama vile mifumo ya ushuru wa upendeleo, kusaidia viwanda, msaada kwa biashara za kuanza, na sera za kuanzisha na kukuza talanta zinapaswa kupitishwa ili kuhamasisha na kuunga mkono maendeleo ya teknolojia za baharini, haswa teknolojia za dijiti kwa uchumi wa bluu na kutokuwepo kwa kaboni, katika jaribio la kuendeleza matumizi ya viwanda vya teknolojia mpya zinazojitokeza." Pili, usimamizi wa bahari unapaswa kuboreshwa kwa kuratibu malengo ya ikolojia, kijamii na kiuchumi. Mfumo wa usimamizi wa bahari wa kina unaofunika mamlaka za kati na za mitaa unapaswa kuanzishwa kutoka kwa mtazamo wa mfumo wa ikolojia tata ambao unazingatia malengo ya kijamii, kiuchumi na asili. Tatu, mfumo na faharisi zinapaswa kuanzishwa ili kufanya uhasibu wa kina wa matokeo ya uendelevu na matokeo ya kijamii na kiuchumi, na kuongeza msaada wa kifedha kwa uchumi wa bluu wa kimataifa. China inapaswa kusasisha Mwongozo wake wa Uongozi wa Viwanda vya Kijani na mfumo wa kifedha wa kijani ili kutathmini uhitaji wa kujenga mfumo mpya wa "ufadhili wa bluu". Taasisi za kifedha zinapaswa kuhamasishwa kuzindua bidhaa za kifedha tofauti zaidi ili kusaidia mabadiliko ya chini ya kaboni ya uchumi wa bahari. Fedha za mwongozo wa serikali pia zinapaswa kucheza jukumu kubwa katika kuendeleza mabadiliko ya kijani ya uchumi wa bluu.