Why the tropical majority is key to creating effective ocean solutions at COP28, and beyond

The author contends that global ocean solutions must shift from focusing on 'tropical crises' to 'tropical opportunities' by centering the expertise of the 'tropical majority'. The text proposes four actions: centering equity in governance to redress power asymmetries, reconnecting people to the ocean by ending 'fortress conservation', redefining ocean literacy to include traditional wisdom, and decolonizing ocean science to rectify historical colonial injustices.

• The 'tropical majority' consists of billions of people in the world's most biodiverse regions who possess deep knowledge of ocean ecosystems but are frequently underrepresented in global climate conversations, such as COP28.
• Small island developing states are more accurately described as 'large ocean states'; for example, Mauritius has an ocean area 1,000 times larger than its landmass and faces risks from rising sea levels and frequent disasters.
• To achieve ocean sustainability, the author proposes centering equity in governance by redressing power asymmetries, utilizing climate loss and damage funds for equitable distribution, and formalizing hybrid governance systems, such as the beach management units used in East Africa.
• Effective ocean solutions require reconnecting communities with the ocean by reversing privatization and stopping 'fortress conservation', while integrating traditional ecological knowledge into scientific research to support livelihoods like coastal tourism and small-scale fisheries.
• The document calls for the decolonization of ocean science to rectify historical injustices where colonial perspectives ignored Indigenous wisdom, advocating for equitable partnerships and capacity building so that tropical communities directly benefit from research and data.

APA

Spalding, A. (2023). Why the tropical majority is key to creating effective ocean solutions at COP28, and beyond. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/tropical-majority-effective-ocean-solutions/

Chicago

Spalding, Ana. Why the tropical majority is key to creating effective ocean solutions at COP28, and beyond. World Economic Forum, 2023. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/tropical-majority-effective-ocean-solutions/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Spalding |first1=Ana |title=Why the tropical majority is key to creating effective ocean solutions at COP28, and beyond |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=29 November 2023 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/tropical-majority-effective-ocean-solutions/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{spalding2023why, author = {Spalding, Ana}, title = {{Why the tropical majority is key to creating effective ocean solutions at COP28, and beyond}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/tropical-majority-effective-ocean-solutions/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }