We are pleased to share that Arctic Reflections has been chosen to lead the UN Ocean Decade’s Arctic Sea Ice Restoration Project.
This endorsement validates our progress to date. As the lead institution for this project, we will work with other GEOS (Global Ecosystem for Ocean Solutions) projects and the GEOS program lead, Ocean Visions, to further develop our scalable solution to tackle climate change.
What is the UN Ocean Decade?
In 2017, the United Nations General Assembly declared 2021 – 2030 as ‘the Ocean Decade’ (officially: the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development).
The UN Ocean Decade is a collective global initiative, endorsed by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, to identify, generate, and use critical ocean knowledge to manage the ocean sustainably.
‘The science we need for the ocean we want.’
What is the UN Ocean Decade’s mission?
To engender transformative ocean science solutions for sustainable development, connecting people and our ocean.
How is it being implemented?
“Building on existing achievements in ocean science, the Ocean Decade stimulates action at all levels while catalyzing transformation to deliver change across all geographies, genders, sectors, disciplines and generations.
Ocean Decade Actions are the tangible initiatives carried out across the globe over the course of the Decade to achieve “the science we need for the ocean we want”. Hundreds of Actions are being implemented globally today, with many more expected over the next eight years, by research institutes, governments, UN entities, intergovernmental organizations, business and industry, philanthropic and corporate foundations, NGOs, ocean sports, educators, community groups, and more.”
The problem
Global warming has already reduced the Arctic sea ice volume by 75% over the last 40 years, and even in the most optimistic carbon emissions reduction scenarios, the Arctic sea is expected to experience ice-free summers as early as the thirties. This will further accelerate the climate crisis and start a series of devastating feedbacks, since the Arctic sea ice functions as the earth’s refrigerator by reflecting the sun’s heat into space.
Our solution
Arctic Sea Ice Restoration aims to restore the Arctic ice by thickening the ice in winter by pumping seawater on top of it in strategically chosen locations across the Arctic Sea.
A polar bear and her cubs crossing the ice.
The UN Ocean Decade program provides opportunities to engage with and collaborate with stakeholders all over the globe. We are excited to start working with the other lead institutions and help solve some of the program’s challenges. Restoring the Arctic sea ice will address Challenges 2 and 5 – protecting and restoring ecosystems and unlocking ocean-based solutions to climate change.
Challenge 2 : Protect and restore ecosystems and biodiversity
Understand the effects of multiple stressors on ocean ecosystems, and develop solutions to monitor, protect, manage and restore ecosystems and their biodiversity under changing environmental, social and climate conditions.
Challenge 5 : Unlock ocean-based solutions to climate change
Enhance understanding of the ocean-climate nexus and generate knowledge and solutions to mitigate, adapt and build resilience to the effects of climate change across all geographies and at all scales, and to improve services including predictions for the ocean, climate and weather.
The UN Ocean Decade challenges we are tackling.
🚀 Follow us on our journey as we join forces with other Ocean Decade Action lead institutions to trigger a revolution in ocean science!