THE ARCTIC YOUTH OCEANS

////////

//////

Empowering Today’s Youth to Impact the Future

The AYN Oceans Group is a youth-led platform for young people across the world to discuss and collaborate on ocean governance, conservation, and sustainable use.

The AYN Oceans Group is a youth-led platform for young people across the world to discuss and collaborate on ocean-related topics, to strengthen the understanding on the effects of anthropogenic activities on the ocean and its integral importance for all life systems on Earth. In line with the general Arctic Youth Network (AYN) principles, the future path of the AYO is to be a youth-led organisation in which the interests, perspectives, and issues of Nordic and Indigenous Youth, especially regarding the Arctic Ocean, are heard, integrated and supported.

////////

///////

Thematic areas/networks

The Ocean covers about 70 percent of the Earth and is the key to all life on Earth. Only recently have we begun to understand the magnitude of the impact, which we have on the marine environment, and the need to prioritise the protection of the ocean and its ecosystems.

Biodiversity

Marine biodiversity is the variety of all oceans and plays a vital role for humans, but especially coastal communities and even more so, Arctic coastal communities, which oftentimes depend on it for sustenance. However, biodiversity loss is seen across all areas of the globe, including the ocean and is threatening the livelihood of many coastal communities who depend on marine biodiversity. The thematic network focuses on topics, including but not exclusively, such as:

The High Seas Treaty under the auspices of the UN (BBNJ process),
(more to come)

View Details

Marine Pollution

While the Arctic Ocean is still often understood as a pristine area, we now know that pollution from a variety of sources, including plastics, pesticides and methane for example, is widely spread across the Arctic. Even though the pollution might be also sourced locally, many contaminants are transported over large distances and enter the region via different pathways, such as the air or ocean currents. This has a detrimental effect on Arctic biodiversity, the environment and subsequently, Arctic coastal communities.

View Details

Climate Change

The term “ocean-climate nexus” refers to the negative impact of climate change on the ocean’s health but also the role of the ocean in global climate regulation. As such, the ocean represents at the same time a “victim” of impacts induced by anthropogenic/human activities but is also, by many, seen as a solution for the mitigation of climate change. As a healthy ocean supports the human right to life, health, food, water and culture, as described by the United Nations, the ocean-climate nexus is an important concept also for the Arctic region.

View Details

///////

Our team

Katharina HeinrichTeam Lead

Rachel Sullivan-LordReCon Team Lead

Filip AlimpicSenior Advisor