Cefas at COP26

COP26 aims to:

Secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach
Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats
Mobilise finance
Work together to deliver

Cefas uses its unique position as a trusted advisor in national and international partnerships to describe and communicate what ocean climate change means for people, policy and the ecosystem.

Our outputs inform stakeholders to take evidence-based actions to adapt to, and mitigate climate change.

We will be supporting COP26 through the four themes of:

Nature
Finance
Energy Transition
Adaptation and Resilience

Globe and COP icons

Nature

Assessing the role of healthy marine environments for climate and biodiversity

Nature COP icon

We are working with partners around the globe to develop integrated nature-based solutions to climate change and biodiversity loss, building upon a diverse evidence base of understanding, quantifying, monitoring, sophisticated modelling and economic valuation.

Our collaborations develop:

Marine habitat maps to inform conservation and resilience
Science to protect coral reefs and other ecosystems
Research on the impacts of climate change on fisheries, food sources and livelihoods
Blue Carbon research for carbon accounting and mitigation
Advice for governments on environmental commitments and climate goals

Finance

Providing evidence to inform investment and reduce risk

We are working with partners to produce the tools, indicators and evidence so that we can evaluate marine and coastal climate risk and identify and assess the role of nature-based solutions in mitigating climate risk.

Our collaborations develop:

Climate impact summaries on natural ecosystems and the risks and costs to businesses, economies, and society
Fisheries indicators to inform climate-smart financing, including insurance for extreme events
Partnerships with Small island Developing States for environmental policy decisions to increase climate resilience
Support for SIDS accessing climate financing, and undergoing accreditation to become a programme lead under the Green Climate Fund

Finance COP icon

Energy Transition

Supporting net zero and the transition to renewable energy

Energy transition COP icon

Cefas are supporting the transition to clean power by providing the evidence base that allows new generation capacity as part of a clean, healthy, safe and productive ocean. 

Alongside our partners, we are:

Working with industry and government to understand how the aquatic ecosystem will change as we build new renewable and nuclear installations 
Understanding the effects of new energy generation structures and their outputs on human and natural systems and seas
Developing innovative ways to monitor and forecast potential impacts to monitor the life and dynamics of coasts
Building the framework to support policy and across scales and sectors, combining the environmental, social, economic, engineering, policy and regulatory considerations

Adaptation and Resilience

Building resilience and informing action to mitigate climate impacts

Cefas science is at the forefront of understanding and predicting the impacts of climate change on marine and freshwater ecosystems. This allows society to improve resilience, to respond, minimise, and recover from the consequences of climate change. 

Alongside our partners, we are:

Working with SIDS to model high resolution risk maps to identify areas most at risk and develop mitigations
Carrying out climate change risk assessments in UK and regions around the world to support adaptation and resilience
Providing advice on food safety issues posed by changing climates to develop early warning tools

Adaptation and resilience COP icon

Activities

Cefas support for COP26 takes many forms, from organising roundtable events, to presenting on a range of ocean climate topics, and displaying alongside our Defra Marine Group partners in the UK COP26 Presidency Virtual Booth in the Global Oceans Virtual Ocean Pavilion.

For more details, follow #CefasatCOP26 on twitter.