Data Is Key to ‘Implementation COP’, Say Ocean Experts at Belém Climate Summit

Speaking on a panel at the Ocean Pavilion at COP30, ocean experts called for substantial investments in technology, data collection and management, and capacity-building. 

—

COP30 is being called the “Implementation COP” as the focus shifts on translating past climate commitments into concrete, on-the-ground action. 

Last year, leaders at COP29 called on nations to generate $1.3 trillion in climate finance, and this year, it is all about how. At COP27, the Loss and Damage Fund was mooted. Now, the question is about how to operationalize it.

Nowhere are the practical challenges more obvious than in topics related to the ocean. To achieve “implementation”, substantial investments are required in technology, data collection and management, and capacity-building, according to participants at this year’s COP30 in Belém, Brazil. 

Real time data sets on sea level rise and storm surges are key to ensuring the current and future impacts of climate change. Information about heatflow, acidification, oxygenation, and extreme storm systems must all be collected by sensors in locations around the world, under a wide variety of conditions. 

To tackle the problems of maintaining equipment in undersea conditions, ensuring global availability of high speed internet, and instrument calibration under harsh conditions, both technical innovation and new sources of financing are required, according to ocean experts. Sophisticated ocean monitoring relies on expensive hardware and high-speed systems, creating a significant barrier to entry – especially for developing countries, where climate impacts are felt the most. 

“Talking about bleaching of coral reefs, heat, storms, the question is how do you model for the future? You need to map the data, and this needs technology, which is expensive. All of these systems need financing,” said Professor Amr Hamouda, President of the Marine Hazards Mitigation Center.

Challenges exist both in collection of data and in making it available to be used. “The ocean is big. We need tons of data,” said Katja Matthes, Director of GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany, at a Saturday panel discussion at the Ocean Pavilion at COP30. “There are plenty of sensors and platforms around, but we need increased accessibility of the data, including for developing countries,” she argued. 

Matthes proposed solutions such as using global fiber optic cables not only for telecommunications but also for sensors, and stated the importance of using artificial intelligence throughout the ocean monitoring process to manage and interpret large amounts of data. 

“We need a sensor network to detect data, we need digital platforms, and we need digital twins,” she said. Through digital twins, where a complete digital version of a real system is created within a virtual system, more detailed modeling of ocean behavior is possible, both under the current situation and in the future.

Along with this data comes the need for expertise to manage it. Human resources will be crucial to the process, according to the panelists. Capacity building goes beyond basic training: it requires embedding long-term expertise within institutions and communities. This includes trained local engineers and scientists, institutional memory, and data literacy at the level of authorities.

Another issue in data management brought up during the panel is that the data generated by global systems is not always fit for local use. Data about sea level rise or water quality that is detailed enough for global use may not have sufficient resolution to support local needs, and may not take local cultural needs into account. Additionally, complex and interdependent local hazards mean that local scientists and authorities can encounter difficulties in analyzing the information.

While data about the ocean might be collected for the purpose of monitoring climate change, this type of information can inform coastal defense and help provide active monitoring of oil spill hazards as well as early warning – for example in the case of a tsunami. “Alexandria has been destroyed two times by tsunamis,” Hamouda pointed out. “[With better ocean data] we’ll have about 40 minutes’ warning for the next one.”