State of Global Environmental Governance 2023 International Institute for Sustainable Development Earth Negotiations Bulletin Edited by Jen Allan, PhD Contributing authors: Elena Kosolapova, PhD Jessica Templeton, PhD Lynn Wagner, PhD State of Global Environmental Governance 2023 International Institute for Sustainable Development Earth Negotiations Bulletin Edited by Jen Allan, PhD Contributing authors: Elena Kosolapova, PhD Jessica Templeton, PhD Lynn Wagner, PhD © 2024 International Institute for Sustainable Development Published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development International Institute for Sustainable Development The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an award-winning independent think tank working to accelerate solutions for a stable climate, sustainable resource management, and fair economies. Our work inspires better decisions and sparks meaningful action to help people and the planet thrive. We shine a light on what can be achieved when governments, businesses, non-profits, and communities come together. IISD’s staff of more than 200 experts come from across the globe and from many disciplines. With offices in Winnipeg, Geneva, Ottawa, and Toronto, our work affects lives in nearly 100 countries. Head Office 111 Lombard Avenue, Suite 325 Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3B 0T4 Tel: +1 (204) 958-7700 Website: iisd.org X-TWITTER: @IISD_news IISD is a registered charitable organization in Canada and has 501(c)(3) status in the United States. IISD receives core operating support from the Province of Manitoba and project funding from governments inside and outside Canada, United Nations agencies, foundations, the private sector, and individuals. Earth Negotiations Bulletin Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) is a trusted source of information about global environmental negotiations. It provides a variety of multimedia informational resources for sustainable development policymakers, including daily coverage of international negotiations, analyses, and photos. ENB is recognized for its objectivity and expertise in international environment and sustainable development policy. The various products provided by ENB make it an essential source of information for government officials, decision makers, UN staff, nongovernmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations, business, and academia. State of Global Environmental Governance 2023 March 2024 Edited by Jen Allan, PhD Contributing authors: Elena Kosolapova, PhD, Jessica Templeton, PhD, Lynn Wagner, PhD Cover Photo: Mike Muzurakis Photo Credits: Mike Muzurakis, Kiara Worth, and Anastasia Rodopoulou iv enb.iisd.org Website: enb.iisd.org X-TWITTER: @IISD_ENB State of Global Environmental Governance 2023 Foreword At the end of 2023, I wrote these words in an article for TIME magazine, “Over the last two years, a positive wave of ocean action has been sweeping around the planet. It is a wave upon which hope can ride with growing confidence. Its momentum is the most powerful opportunity we have to improve humanity’s relationship with the ocean.” Why is it incumbent upon us to improve that relationship? For the answer to that question, we need only repeat the daily mantra: “there can be no healthy planet without a healthy ocean, and the ocean’s health is currently measurably in decline.” Let us presume we’re all moderately aware of the elements of the decline that we’re measuring, be it warming, acidification, pollution, harmful fisheries practices, rising sea levels, death of coral … the list goes on. The incumbent demand arises from the fact that, in the main, all of these elements of decline are caused by the activities of humankind. And then, what is that positive wave, and how can we join with hope in riding it? Well, who would have thought that at a time when international political relations have been at such a cyclical low, that international consensus has been achieved on some truly transformational environmental measures. Let’s look at just three of those consensus agreements. Ambassador Peter Thomson, UN SecretaryGeneral’s Special Envoy for the Ocean (IISD/ENB | Anastasia Rodopoulou) Firstly, the high seas treaty, or BBNJ, agreed to at the UN last year, covers 50% of the planet’s surface and brings to the ocean the promise of good governance, with sustainability, conservation, and equity at the fore. Before that, from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)’s 15th meeting of the Conference o