The vulnerability of the aquatic food sector to climate change impacts is gaining increased recognition. Through the FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031 and its Blue Transformation Roadmap, FAO and partners support the development of robust, resilient and sustainable aquatic food systems that contribute significantly to global food security and poverty alleviation. This section maps the trajectory of discussions on aquatic foods under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Global policy on how aquatic food systems should adapt to climate change is supported by field projects to implement climate solutions, with examples featured in this section, including the estimated cost to replicate and upscale them.
The journey of aquatic foods under the UNFCCC
Policies of recent years have increasingly focused on the nexus between climate change, aquatic ecosystems and food production, as a result of pivotal consultations initiated within the UNFCCC. The journey began in 2009 when the 15th UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP15) launched Oceans Day; in 2016, COP22 saw Oceans Day integrated in the official “blue zone” where negotiations occur. Mandated by COP25, the first Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue (hereinafter Ocean Dialogue) was held in 2020; it highlighted the critical role of ocean-climate action, harnessing insights from the 2019 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere.bi
The outcomes of the first Ocean Dialogue were presented at COP26 in 2021, leading to a historic decision to hold annual Ocean Dialogues during the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice sessions and include ocean-related topics in the UNFCCC multilateral process. Further progress was made at the 2022 Ocean Dialogue by underscoring the importance of strengthened national ocean-climate action and synergies between ocean and climate policies, culminating in a dedicated section on the ocean in the COP27 Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan.
In 2023, the Ocean Dialogue selected “fisheries and food security” as one of two topics for deep-dive discussions, recognizing the significant potential of the aquatic food sector for providing critical climate solutions coherent with boosting food security. The dialogue emphasized the need for integrating aquatic food climate solutions into both national and multilateral climate processes. Special attention was also given to empowering vulnerable small-scale fishers and fish farmers to adapt to climate change.
A public call to inform the Ocean Dialogue resulted in the submission of about 100 case studies (Figure 60) that demonstrate the vital role of the aquatic food sector in providing adaptation and mitigation solutions. These examples also contributed valuable input to the Global Stocktake (GST)bj that aims to assess and accelerate the collective progress towards the achievement of the Paris Agreement goals, thereby informing on the preparation, updating and implementation of country-led instruments such as nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs).
FIGURE 60Overview of aquatic food-related case studies and initiatives submitted to the 2023 UNFCCC annual Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue
Source: Authors’ own elaboration.
Overall, these efforts led to an increased prominence of aquatic foods in COP28 decisions. For example, climate-resilient food systems and management of inland, marine and coastal ecosystems were highlighted as suitable climate solutions.bk Moreover, over 150 countries endorsed a political declaration on sustainable agriculture, resilient food systems, and climate action that refers to promoting sustainable aquatic foods.bl
Building good practices from the ground
The first GST highlighted the urgent need for increased adaptation action to reduce and respond to growing impacts, particularly for those who are least prepared to cope with and recover from climate change impacts, climate variability, and weather-related disasters (Box 47). The 2023 Ocean Dialogue featured FAO field projects and programmes implementing climate change adaptation solutions for aquatic food systems across regions (Figure 61).
BOX 47Prevention, preparedness and rehabilitation of aquatic food systems after climate-related shocks and disasters
Intense climate-related disasters – floods, storms and tropical cyclones, droughts and heatwaves – have been on the rise worldwide with significant socioeconomic impacts. Disaster risk drivers include climate change, poverty and inequality, population growth, health emergencies caused by pandemics, practices such as unsustainable land use and management, armed conflicts, and environmental degradation (FAO, 2023). Intense climate-related shocks and disasters now account for more than 80 percent of all disaster events. Over the past 50 years, the cumulative death toll from all recorded disasters stands at 2 million, with a shocking 90 percent of these deaths occurring in developing countries (WMO, 2023).
Not all extreme events necessarily result in a disaster, and the extent of their impacts on the fisheries and aquaculture sector depends on how exposed and vulnerable aquatic food systems are, as well as their capacity to respond. Poverty, unequal access to resources, and governance structures all play a pivotal role in determining the risks and impacts of disasters. Disasters can cause damage to boats, engines, fishing gears, landing sites, post-harvest facilities, and aquatic habitats. They can also cause loss of livelihoods and disruption to aquatic food chains, decrease availability of aquatic foods, and result in loss of export revenues.
Fortunately, compared with other sectors, rapid restoration of activities in fisheries and aquaculture after a disaster can, in some circumstances, quickly provide nutritious foods and employment, and fast-track a community’s return to normal economic activity. Although FAO’s interventions to date have largely been reactive in response to disasters, a proactive approach is progressively being deployed. Over the last few years, FAO has, for example, supported fishers with fishing gears and processing and engine repair equipment to restart fishing activities in the Bahamas (after Hurricane Dorian in 2019), Tonga (after a volcanic eruption and consequent tsunami in 2022) and South Sudan (annually, after floods). FAO has also developed guidelines to support the fisheries and aquaculture response to emergencies, training seven Caribbean Small Island Developing States institutions in the use of these guidelines with further training planned for Africa, Asia and Latin America. This allows for more holistic assessments and quicker responses, with rehabilitation of the entire aquatic value chain. However, data for assessing the impact of disasters on fisheries and aquaculture remain partial and inconsistent, making it more difficult to assess the damage and losses to the sector and often leaving the sector excluded from assessments and consequent response and rehabilitation funding. It is therefore essential to continue improving data collection tools and systems and to further implement the FAO loss and damage assessment tool.
Developing proactive and timely interventions by anticipating, preventing and reducing future risks is crucial. Urgent action is needed to prioritize the integration of multi-hazard disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies into fisheries legislation to reduce mortality and loss of assets, as well as to develop policies and programmes and align them with global frameworks for DRR and disaster risk management. Such strategies include areas of work that FAO has been supporting, for example, in building climate-resilient infrastructure, enhancing safety at sea, establishing comprehensive fisher and vessel registries, and formulating early warning systems for shock-responsive social protection to deploy anticipatory action. They also include developing disaster risk preparedness and response plans at the national and local level, integrating “building back better” principles for the fisheries and aquaculture sector in Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
SOURCES: FAO. 2023. The Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security 2023 – Avoiding and reducing losses through investment in resilience. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cc7900en
WMO (World Meteorological Organization). 2023. Economic costs of weather-related disasters soars but early warnings save lives. In: WMO. [Cited 16 November 2023]. https://wmo.int/media/news/economic-costs-of-weather-related-disasters-soars-early-warnings-save-lives
FIGURE 61Examples of FAO field projects and programmes on climate change adaptation for the aquatic food sector
Source: Authors’ own elaboration.
These projects are instrumental in providing support to highly vulnerable coastal and riparian fisheries and aquaculture communitiesbm to reduce their vulnerability and boost their adaptation capacity and resilience. They leverage approaches such as the ecosystem approach to fisheries (EAF) and to aquaculture (EAA), while integrating gender issues, strengthening information management and monitoring capacities, improving safety at sea, enhancing national policies and existing legal frameworks, diversifying livelihoods, and promoting biodiversity conservation capacity and practices in fishing and fish farming. In some instances, early warning systems have been developed, climate-proofing has been applied to fisheries infrastructure and assets (e.g. landing sites and fishing vessels), and local food systems have been diversified.
In South Sudan, FAO is supporting freshwater fishing communities to alleviate the impacts of climate change and civil unrest. It involves innovation in canoe building – using fewer timber products while increasing the canoe’s lifespan. Efforts are also made to increase the efficiency of connections between production hubs and markets, review aquatic food value chains, develop management plans, and adopt improved post-harvest techniques.
A key strength of the ongoing FAO projects and initiatives lies in the integration of traditional knowledge for adapting to changing climatic conditions in specific areas, offering key insights into local species most suited to adapting to evolving conditions. Additionally, emphasis is placed on stakeholder engagement, as well as the involvement of youth, women and Indigenous Peoples. These elements are essential in supporting vulnerable communities to build resilience to climate change and adapt livelihoods through management and technology improvements and diversification of local food systems.
Considering the experience of several Latin American and Caribbean countries where aquaculture is well developed and climate change plans have been successfully implemented, FAO is developing a conceptual framework for assessing strategies for adapting aquaculture to climate change. The framework will guide countries in establishing strategies for climate-proof aquaculture by identifying innovative solutions to cope with climate change impacts. Preliminary case studies for farming salmon and oysters are underway to validate the effectiveness of the framework and its use to support countries in defining strategies under their NAPs. FAO is also identifying feasible climate-smart aquaculture technologies based on the best scientific knowledge for adoption by Members to make aquaculture more carbon-efficient, resilient and productive, thereby aligning with the Paris Agreement’s preamble that recognizes the fundamental priority of safeguarding food security and ending hunger.
The cost of scaling up climate action
Accelerating climate action requires adequate financing. A review of NDCs and NAPs estimated the costs of adaptation for the aquatic food sector in all developing countries at USD 4.8 billion per year by 2030. These costs are estimated to rise significantly towards 2050. Unfortunately, public international adaptation finance flows to the aquatic food sector have averaged only USD 0.2 billion per year (2017–2021) underscoring a significant adaptation finance gap.
Ensuring access to climate finance for the aquatic food sector – especially its small-scale producers – emerged as a significant issue during the 2023 UNFCCC Ocean Dialogue, highlighting the need to provide the know-how to effectively access funds, and to enhance the awareness of funding institutions such as the Global Environment Facility and Green Climate Fund on climate risks and solutions within the sector. In line with this objective, FAO has developed climate finance training materials to help governments and other stakeholders assess climate risks, build climate rationale, develop adaptation actions, and formulate adaptation finance proposals. In addition, FAO is developing guidance, frameworks and tools to facilitate access to climate finance for fisheries and aquaculture projects.
Conclusion
Blue Transformation stresses the need for increased mobilization in the planning and implementation of climate action in the aquatic food sector. To improve the current situation, where most efforts are incremental and unequally distributed across regions, there must be a significant upscaling of climate action. Such action must be sustained, transformative and equitable, as well as adequately financed, particularly for climate-vulnerable communities reliant on aquatic food systems. Furthermore, while the ocean has been a primary entry point for the aquatic food sector’s engagement under the UNFCCC, it has become evident that this engagement must expand to encompass food production from freshwater systems, and give due consideration to aquaculture, post-harvest activities, trade and consumer education. To this end, it is essential to support vulnerable stakeholders to gain insights on the UNFCCC structure and participate in the climate negotiation process. This requires enabling them to access practical entry points to contribute to the climate negotiation process and to level the playing field for the sector’s effective engagement in multilateral climate policymaking processes.
- bi For further details, see: https://www.ipcc.ch/srocc/
- bj The GST is a party-driven process under the UNFCCC conducted in a transparent manner with the participation of non-party stakeholders, aiming at taking stock of where the world stands on climate action, identifying the gaps and developing solutions pathways to 2030 and beyond.
- bk For further details, see: https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/resource/cma2023_L17_adv.pdf
- bl For further details, see: https://www.cop28.com/en/food-and-agriculture
- bm For example, in Belize, the Gambia, Grenada, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mozambique, the Philippines, Saint Lucia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste and Vanuatu.
