What is the role of the ocean in promoting and sustaining global climate adaptation and resilience efforts?

The ocean is an integral component of the Earth's climate system, playing a critical role in mitigating the impacts of climate change and promoting global climate adaptation and resilience efforts. The ocean is the world's largest carbon sink, absorbing approximately 30% of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities. This helps to mitigate the effects of climate change by reducing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Moreover, the ocean's role in regulating global temperature and weather patterns through ocean currents and the water cycle is critical to climate adaptation and resilience efforts. The ocean provides vital ecosystem services that help to buffer coastal communities from the impacts of climate change, such as storm surges and sea-level rise. Coastal habitats like mangroves, seagrasses, and coral reefs provide important natural barriers that can help to reduce the damage caused by extreme weather events.

However, the ocean itself is also at risk from climate change, with rising sea temperatures and ocean acidification threatening marine biodiversity and disrupting ocean ecosystems. Therefore, it is crucial that efforts to promote global climate adaptation and resilience also prioritize the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources.