Ocean Science Leaders, Advocates to Push for Action at UN Event

Nearly a dozen scientists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego are joining other leaders of the global ocean science community to make the case for stepped-up research at the third United Nations Ocean Conference beginning June 9 in Nice, France.

The oceans face myriad threats ranging from marine heatwaves, increasing pollution, a shrinking supply of safe seafood, a quest for key minerals from the seafloor that many scientists consider dangerous, and the acidification of seawater, which makes it hard for mollusks and other organisms to make their shells. But scientists like Scripps Director Margaret Leinen say there are also numerous new technologies now available that can monitor ocean health and head off major problems in the future.

“We have many new tools at our disposal to understand the ocean and many techniques that are promising to address these threats,” said Leinen, who also serves as vice chancellor for marine sciences at UC San Diego. “And given the role of the ocean in preserving life on Earth, it is incumbent upon society to do all it can to understand and address what lies ahead.”

Most Scripps scientists attending the conference said they are more interested in exploring the exciting possibilities offered by rendering the ocean more sustainable than in voicing the litany of challenges the great global commons face. They see the ocean as a driver of economic prosperity and innovative technology, and as a barely tapped source of compounds that could potentially treat human illnesses ranging from infections to cancer and provide innovative products for many uses.

Scripps biological oceanographer Lisa Levin will participate in events in the conference’s Blue Zone,” open only to badged participants, and its “green zone,” open to the general public. 

"The UN Ocean Conference is a rare opportunity for governments, industry, academics and non-governmental organizations to come together to identify strategies and build ambition for a sustainable ocean,” said Levin. “Scripps has exceptionally valuable contributions to make in this conversation, from the bottom of the ocean to the surface and atmosphere."

Panel talks featuring Levin include “Safeguarding Deep-Sea Biodiversity and the Climate: Integrating Science and Policy for a Sustainable Future” at 10:30 a.m. June 13 in the conference blue zone and in the green zone at 5 p.m. on June 12, both sponsored by the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative. 

Octavio Aburto-Oropeza has spent 30 years watching marine life at the tip of Mexico’s Baja California rebound after fishers there made a conscious decision to conserve it and preserve their own livelihoods in the process. Now Aburto-Oropeza, a Scripps marine biologist, is hoping to make the concept of so-called Marine Prosperity Areas more widespread. These areas would be marine reserves created with the goal of restoring marine ecosystems and making them “banks,” from which fishing fleets and tourism operators will be able to restore human well-being and thrive. Aburto-Oropeza will promote that message in Nice. 

“It’s time to rebalance the many ways we value nature—its intrinsic worth, its essential role in sustaining societies, and its deep cultural meaning,” Aburto-Oropeza said. “Marine Prosperity Areas aim to create that balance: restoring ocean health while supporting human well-being. As we reach the halfway mark of the 30x30 agenda, we must ignite a new wave of action across all sectors of society.” 

Strengthening the link between ocean health and economic growth, Scripps Director of Corporate Affiliates, Business Development, Industry Outreach & Innovation 

Vanessa Scott will be participating at the Blue Economy Finance Forum at the conference for business development and increased visibility for Scripps Oceanography applied research, innovators, startups and spinouts, the StartBlue Ocean Enterprise Accelerator, and industry collaborations. Her goals are to identify, connect and recruit potential investors, startups, companies and partners for collaborations with Scripps and StartBlue. She will be presenting on Scripps Oceanography innovations, the StartBlue Ocean Enterprise Accelerator program opportunity, StartBlue impacts to date, and the strength of the San Diego Blue Economy Innovation Ecosystem.

Other members of the Scripps team will brief UNOC participants on the value of understanding attempts by ancient civilizations to adapt to climate change through marine archaeology, the consequences to marine life from the increasing prevalence of algal blooms, the threats to the safety of seafood to human consumers and new remedies that have been identified, and new technologies that can revive coral populations through the use of chemical prompts. 

The Scripps delegation will also advance the urgent need for expanded observation of the global ocean, such as through the use of the Argo network and new biomolecular diagnostic tools offered by initiatives such as the Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network that is evaluating the health of a ocean regions through their biomolecules in the same manner that a person’s health can be assessed through a blood draw.  

Scripps is collaborating with international research centers such as GEOMAR, JAMSTEC, IFREMER, the UK’s National Oceanography Center and others to advance a collective goal to have UNFCCC climate negotiations and UN Convention on Biological Diversity negotiations highlight the importance of ocean observations and science in achieving their goals.

Several Scripps researchers will engage with the public in the venue “La Bailene” (“The Whale”) in the green zone. Their talks will be in the Deep Blue Pavilion, which is sponsored by the organization OceanX. Other presentations will take place within the event’s blue zone. 

The event is the third in a series of conferences dedicated to governance of the global ocean, one of 17 “Sustainable Development Goals” created by the UN in 2015, intended to promote the well-being of society and natural systems.