Published on July 4th 2023, this book chapter explores the ocean’s biodiversity and the important role it plays in global climate regulation. Although, there are recorded negative trends in the loss of biodiversity globally evident in the modification of the physical and chemical properties of the ocean through the warming and acidification of the ocean. With that said, this book chapter investigates the extent to which the Paris Agreement and other multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) are interpreted focusing on marine biodiversity as a human life support and key element to climate regulation. The authors’ findings suggest that ocean-based climate action relies on the mutually supportive implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Paris Agreement along with international biodiversity law, the law of the sea and international human rights law. The chapter concludes with recommendations including that international law scholarship should further contextualise due diligence standards for ocean-based climate action by acknowledging potential negative impacts on the human rights such as the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities.
This chapter was published as part of the Research Handbook on the Law of the Paris Agreement and should be cited as:
Morgera, E, Mitchell, L. 2023. Ensuring Mutual Supportiveness of the Paris Agreement with other Multilateral Environmental Agreements: A Focus on Ocean-Based Climate Action. Forthcoming in Zahar (ed) Research Handbook on the Law of the Paris Agreement (Edward Elgar, 2024), SSRN:https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4482946.