The ocean is fundamental to climate stability, livelihoods and sustainable development. It currently absorbs
approximately 30% of human-induced carbon dioxide emissions and about 90% of the additional
heat generated by climate change. In doing so, it has substantially moderated the pace and scale of global warming. This climate-regulating function, however, cannot be assumed to continue indefinitely. Ocean warming, acidification, deoxygenation, shifting circulation and nutrient patterns, pollution and ecosystem degradation are altering the physical, chemical and biological processes that govern carbon uptake and storage.

Understanding and responding to these changes requires stronger capabilities to observe, analyse and appropriately manage ocean carbon dynamics. Ocean-based climate technologies, including ocean carbon monitoring systems, blue carbon ecosystems (BCEs) and marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) approaches, may contribute not only to climate mitigation but also to adaptation, resilience and sustainable ocean management. Reflecting this, the 2026 Climate Technology Progress Report highlights Ocean Carbon Intelligence (OCI) as a framework through which marine science and technology can be connected to help facilitate climate action. By strengthening scientific understanding through the integration of ocean observations, digital infrastructure and analytical models, together with Indigenous and local knowledge systems where appropriate, OCI enables complex marine data to be transformed into actionable, decision-ready insights, supporting the informed assessment and implementation of ocean-based climate technologies capable of protecting, restoring or enhancing ocean carbon sinks.

The report identifies six interrelated priorities for action aimed at sustaining the ocean’s climate-regulating functions and supporting the responsible, equitable development and deployment of ocean-based climate technologies.

Chapter highlights 

• Robust governance frameworks are essential for enabling the responsible development, deployment and transfer of ocean-based climate technologies while safeguarding environmental integrity and promoting positive social outcomes. Achieving this will require coordinated and complementary action across international, regional, national and subnational governance levels.
• The international governance framework relevant to ocean-based climate technologies remains highly fragmented, comprising multiple international regimes that address different aspects of technology development, deployment and transfer. Limited coordination across these regimes has created regulatory gaps and areas of ambiguity that may constrain effective technology development and transfer, while potentially weakening environmental and social safeguards. Addressing these challenges will require targeted reforms within relevant international frameworks, alongside institutional mechanisms that enhance coordination, coherence and synergies across regimes.
• The UNFCCC recognizes the ocean as a critical component of the global carbon cycle and an important carbon sink. However, ocean carbon uptake is not fully reflected in greenhouse gas accounting under the Convention. Resource, technical and institutional capacity constraints, particularly in developing countries, limit the ability to quantify and account for ocean carbon uptake and, consequently, to fully realize the potential of ocean-based climate technologies.
• Just and equitable development and transfer of ocean-based climate technologies require governance frameworks and institutional arrangements that prevent the reinforcement of existing inequalities and avoid shifting additional social, economic or environmental burdens onto vulnerable populations.
• Robust environmental and social safeguards, together with effective protection of tenure and resource rights, are essential to ensure that ocean-based climate technologies do not undermine existing livelihoods, displace resource users or generate adverse social impacts, particularly for Indigenous Peoples and local communities whose livelihoods depend on affected areas. This highlights the need for inclusive governance.
• Long-term, transboundary monitoring systems are required to verify climate outcomes, assess broader environmental and socioeconomic co-benefits, and identify, evaluate and manage potential adverse impacts associated with ocean-based climate technologies.
• While a range of financing mechanisms exists to support ocean-based climate technology projects, access to capital remains fragmented and insufficient to meet investment needs. Scaling investment will require the development of enabling infrastructure, including standardized taxonomies, robust MRV systems and strengthened support for technology development, transfer and capacity-building.
• International cooperation is a key enabler of ocean-based climate technology development and transfer, and existing governance frameworks provide opportunities to enhance coordination while safeguarding environmental and social outcomes.