ASC Joins Global Call for Ocean-Centred Climate Action at COP31

As momentum builds toward the 31^st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), the “BlueCOP” agenda is highlighting the ocean’s critical role in addressing the climate crisis. Reflecting this growing global call to action, Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) CEO Chris Ninnes joined more than 150 global leaders and experts in signing an open letter to COP31 hosts Australia and Türkiye, urging them to place the ocean at the heart of global climate action.

The letter urges COP31 leadership to make ocean-climate solutions a core political priority, including a dedicated World Leaders Summit focus with clear outcomes on political commitment and climate finance. It also calls for strengthened integration of ocean and coastal priorities across COP31 negotiation streams, including mitigation, adaptation, and finance, alongside dedicated high-level sessions to advance implementation of existing initiatives such as the Blue Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) Challenge Implementation Taskforce and the Action Agenda Blue Package launched at COP30.

ASC CEO Chris Ninnes said, “The health of our oceans is inseparable from the future of sustainable aquaculture, global food and nutritional security and protein supply. Our oceans have enormous influence on global weather systems, aquatic and terrestrial, so ocean and planetary health are intrinsically intertwined.

“We are fortunate that seafood farming’s vital and increasing role regards these benefits can also do this with less impact than terrestrial animal protein supply. To put it simply: seafood farming provides more with less impact. But to secure all of these benefits into the future we must do more to ensure blue foods are sustainably farmed and fished and that the ecosystems that deliver this comprehensively managed. If we do that then the ocean will continue to sustain communities, livelihoods and provide planetary resilience for generations to come.”

The signatories emphasise that the ocean is central to climate stability, absorbing over 90% of excess heat and around a quarter of global CO₂ emissions, while supporting billions of people through food security, livelihoods, and coastal resilience. Yet despite its critical role, ocean-based solutions remain significantly underrepresented in climate policy and finance. Scaling solutions such as sustainable blue foods, decarbonisation of shipping, offshore renewable energy, and protection and restoration of blue carbon ecosystems could deliver up to 35% of the emissions reductions needed to meet the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C goal.

The letter calls for COP31 to mark a turning point, embedding ocean-climate action across all relevant negotiation areas.

The full letter with over 150 signatories can be found here.

The summit will be held at the Antalya Expo Center in Antalya, Türkiye, from November 9 to 20, 2026.