When I arrived in Belém for COP30, I expected climate negotiations, speeches, and long policy documents. I didn’t expect the ocean to be so present in so many conversations, especially because previous COPs rarely gave the ocean much attention.
As I listened to scientists, Indigenous leaders, and coastal communities during COP, I started to see the ocean not just as a research subject, but as a quiet hero holding the world together. As someone who studies the ocean, I’ve long known its importance in regulating our climate and sustaining life. The ocean absorbs 30% of all the carbon dioxide we emit, and 90% of the excess heat we create. It is our biggest climate buffer, working tirelessly and silently.
But the ocean is reaching its limit. In just ten years, it has warmed by 0.2°C, an unimaginable shift for marine life. Coral bleaching is no longer rare—it is at its peak. Ocean acidification is eating away at shells and ecosystems. Sea-level rise is threatening all coastal areas. People in the coastal communities talked about falling fish catches, stronger storms, and land lost to erosion. It became clear that a weakening ocean harms not only ecosystems but also economies, food security, and traditions. Still, the ocean has rarely been given real importance in climate talks.
This year’s COP gave me hope!
For the first time, there was a full Ocean Pavilion, not a tiny booth hidden in a corner, but a central, vibrant space filled with conversations that finally recognized the ocean as a climate powerhouse. I sat in panels where local communities, policymakers, and scientists spoke side by side, and I felt something shift. I hope the ocean is no longer an afterthought.
Countries also stepped up. Brazil and France launched a Blue NDC Taskforce to accelerate ocean-based climate action. Of the 66 coastal national climate plans submitted this year, 92% included ocean measures, a number that would have been unimaginable a few years ago. Brazil also introduced the Blue Package, offering technical guidance, finance pathways, and support for countries to include blue carbon, coastal resilience, and marine conservation in their next NDC updates. Ocean Breakthroughs was another milestone. This is a set of written science-based targets for marine renewables, conservation, shipping, tourism, and aquatic food systems. An online platform will track whether countries actually follow through, adding accountability to ambition.
And in one of the most hopeful moments, the High Seas Treaty reached 60 ratifications and is now set to enter into force in January 2026. Watching leaders celebrate this long-awaited achievement, I felt genuinely emotional. Brazil has even committed to ratifying the treaty before the end of the year. For the first time, the vast areas of our global ocean with no protection will finally have a chance.
But as I walked out of COP30 on the final day, I also felt a heaviness. Because even with all this progress, there is still so much more to do.
We can’t afford to wait; this is the moment for implementation. During one panel, a local community member was asked what he thinks about the future of the ocean. He answered, “In this situation, I don’t think about the future as tomorrow.” He and his community believe the future is today, and they are already taking steps to protect the ocean. I hope decision-makers and negotiators adopt this same mindset and act urgently to confront climate change and safeguard our ecosystems.
From the ocean-focused sessions I attended, I learned that we must create climate finance that truly includes the ocean. Right now, blue finance is less than 1% of global climate finance. We must prioritize coastal and island communities that contribute the least to climate change but bear the greatest impacts. We must make sure every country includes ocean solutions in their 2025 NDC updates. And we need to align policy, funding, and business so that protecting the ocean isn’t seen as charity, it’s seen as a smart economic strategy.
As a scientist, I came to COP chasing data and policy outcomes. But I am leaving with something else—an understanding that the ocean should not be just part of the climate conversation. It is the climate conversation. As a student who wants to communicate science beyond research papers, I will continue engaging in outreach with schools and local communities, helping people understand why the ocean matters for climate change and how even small actions can help protect it.
Now more than ever, the ocean needs our protection, and we need the ocean to shield us from the accelerating impacts of climate change.
Anagha Payyambally is a marine sciences graduate student.