The National Oceanography Centre: Turning the tide on Climate Change

Government Relations and Public Affairs

Challenge

We began work with the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) in 2021, with the aim of shifting the debate on oceans from being a victim of climate change to part of the solution. This followed NOC appointing its first in-house public affairs team following its privatisation in 2019.

Our Strategy 

Our strategy centred on two key objectives:

  • Raising the profile of oceans in this Parliament and into the next
  • Changing the terms of debate on oceans from being a victim to a part of the solution

We have quickly boosted NOC and the APPG for the Ocean to the centre of the political debate and secured NOC as a trusted adviser to parliamentarians and Government, leading to several demonstrable policy wins outlined below.

As a part of this, we provide the secretariat services to the APPG for the Ocean, which is chaired by Conservative MP Sally Ann-Hart. One of the central tenants of our approach was to conduct an inquiry into Blue Carbon and Ocean- Based Solutions to Climate Change and the vital role that the ocean plays in climate change adaptation and resilience.

This report, The Ocean: Turning the Tide on Climate Change, was launched in December at a private roundtable attended by leading academics and representatives from NOC, Blue Marine Foundation, Marine Biological Association, British Antarctic Survey and the University of Oxford, alongside key parliamentarians including former Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers MP, Labour frontbencher Kerry McCarthy MP, and APPG Chair Sally-Ann Hart MP.

The Result

Following the publication of the report, the Government took on board a number of its central recommendations, including:

  • Announcing the first three marine areas in England (Allonby Bay, Northeast of Farnes Deep, and Dolphin Head) which will receive the highest level of protection for marine habitats and species.
  • Mandating offshore Marine Protected Areas to have byelaws in place by the end of 2024 to protect sensitive species and habitats from bottom towed fishing gears.
  • Consideration and further discussion of plans to include more aspects of marine carbon storage and sequestration into UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

This led Lord Goldsmith (then Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Minister) to brief the group on the Government’s response and priorities, followed by briefings from FCDO Minister Andrew Mitchell MP and DEFRA Minister Lord Benyon the High Seas Treaty.