Sustainable Ocean Alliance: The Youth and Innovation Forum

Over the past weekend, 130 young leaders from around the world came together in Cascais, Portugal at the Youth and Innovation Forum, an official side event of the UN Ocean Conference. This forum allowed young participants to be key drivers for change in tackling the greatest threats our ocean is currently facing, and provided an opportunity for them to contribute to the political process of the UN.

In teams, they worked to create and propose new solutions to 5 main challenges. The first challenge was green shipping, the need for sustainable transport in our globalized world. Decarbonizing the shipping industry is essential in securing sustainable global trade and development.

The next challenge, ocean renewable energy, will play a vital role in preventing global warming from exceeding 1.5℃. The team proposed an integrated systems-thinking approach that uses offshore wind farms as an opportunity to support marine biodiversity through artificial reefs constructed on bottom fixed wind turbines.

The third challenge of waste entering the ocean is perhaps the most visible sign of our impact on the ocean, with images of vast amounts of plastic waste capturing the attention of the public. Beyond increased recycling, we must close the loop and move towards a circular economy, stopping plastic pollution at the source.

Mapping the ocean was the next challenge, as much of the ocean remains unexplored. Ocean research is often very expensive, and excludes potential stakeholders especially in developing countries. Along with cutting edge technology, we also need accessible ways that allow local communities to monitor their own ecosystems.

Finally, the challenge for fully sustainable seafood is critical for feeding the global population with a healthy ocean. Our fish and seafood must be fully traceable and transparent in order to stop the illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing that leads to loss of biodiversity. 

After working hard to address these wicked challenges, the youth leaders were surprised by a visit from Jason Momoa, known for his role as Aquaman. Jason was appointed the UN Advocate for Life Below Water, hoping to spread the message for ocean conservation out beyond the UN circle. “The Ocean is an ancient teacher, a guide and a muse”, said Momoa while addressing the participants. 

Also present at the Forum was UN Secretary General António Guterres, who listened to the pitches presented by each group, and firstly apologized to all young people for “the failure of his generation to protect the ocean”. He also wished them “all the success his generation did not have” in this important fight. 

“A love based, youth led climate movement is what we need. This room is full of the brightest minds in the world now acting in their communities. Not just thinking about models but actually acting” said the teams of youth leaders from the stage, with the knowledge, tools, and inspiration to continue fighting for a future with a healthy ocean.