The ocean is a critical part of the global climate solution.

The Southeast Asia Framework for Oceans Action in Mitigation (SEAFOAM) program aims to demonstrate additional ways countries can meet or raise their ambition  under the world’s most important climate treaty – the Paris Agreement.

At COP28, the Global Stocktake document reflected the significant role protecting and preserving coastal ecosystems and ocean-based action should play as part of pathways towards net zero. 

The ocean has the potential to provide 25 per cent of the emissions reductions needed annually to meet 2050 climate targets. 

Yet very few countries have made the leap to include ocean based action within their nationally determined contributions.

Climateworks Centre’s SEAFOAM program aims to create a template showing how a country like Indonesia could include sectors such as blue carbon, offshore renewable energy and green shipping within its next Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), which is due in 2025.

As the largest archipelagic country in the world and host to 17 per cent of the world’s blue carbon ecosystems, Indonesia is one of the most important countries in the world for ocean-based climate change mitigation. 

Sustainable management of the ocean around Indonesia offers dual benefits of significant emissions mitigation while providing coastal communities with climate resilience. 

To date, no country with a maritime sector and economy as large and multifaceted as Indonesia has attempted the substantial inclusion of ocean-based measures in its NDC.

Our work seeks to support countries and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)  in raising the collective level of ambition and literacy on ocean-climate issues. 

The SEAFOAM project is increasing recognition of the need to include the ocean in national climate mitigation strategies and the benefits of doing so.

What we’re doing

SEAFOAM’s  ambition is that Indonesia has reached net zero emissions, enabled by the development of a sustainable blue economy, by 2050.   

SEAFOAM will achieve this through:

• influencing Indonesian climate policy and action through strategic engagement and convening activities that strengthen inclusion of ocean-based mitigation within the NDC
• blue pathway development to guide ocean-climate policy design and inform government decision making processes related to the NDC and the development of the sustainable blue economy
• building capacity on ocean-climate nexus to enhance knowledge, coordination and collaboration across stakeholders including government, private sector, not-for-profit and academia
• blue financing and subsidy research to uncover novel financial mechanisms to support the realisation of long term climate and biodiversity goals.