The Triple Threat to Our Planet and the Fight to Save It: How regional coastal and marine organizations are addressing the challenge

 

The world is facing a convergence of crises unlike any in human history. Climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution collectively dubbed as the 'Triple Planetary Crises' or TPC are pushing the boundaries of both environmental sustainability and human resilience. 

Together, they form interconnected challenges, demanding solutions as complex and unified as the problems themselves. Attempting to address the TPC individually risks creating solutions that might inadvertently worsen other crises. 

During the EAS Congress in Xiamen, PR China regional organizations such as PEMSEA, ASEAN Center for Biodiversity, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), North-East Asian Marine Protected Area Network, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission - Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific among many others convened to tackle these interconnected challenges emphasizing collaboration, innovation, and a shared collective vision for sustainability. 

The session, organized by the UNEP Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) on 7 November 2024, tackled the scale and complexity of the TPC and the required solutions that account for trade-offs and synergies, embracing the interconnectedness of natural systems. 
 

Building strong collaborative actions

 

Maeve Nightingale, Senior Program Officer at IUCN, emphasized that, in addition to addressing the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, equality and equity in benefit-sharing are critical considerations in conservation efforts. 

She highlighted the importance of integrating the social dimension into conservation strategies, ensuring that communities have a level playing field to access and benefit from environmental resources.

For PEMSEA Executive Director, Aimee Gonzales, three essential elements are key to building a robust regional partnership. The first is a guiding regional strategy that provides a shared framework to align diverse efforts and resources. 

The second involves a dynamic operating modality that engages local and national governments, and a multidisciplinary pool of experts from national/local learning centers to ensure synergistic and seamless service delivery. Lastly, a blended funding source is key to mitigate the risks of over-reliance on a single stream of support.
 

Forging a Synergistic Path Forward

 

 

Forging a path forward, the session concluded with a roadmap for collective action across the East Asian Seas region. The establishment of a shared knowledge platform emerged as a defining strategy, enabling stakeholders to access and exchange information to support the dissemination of stories and translate these into lessons learned that resonate with audiences and inspire further actions.

The need to leverage existing tools and frameworks is also equally important. Building on proven mechanisms such as integrated Coastal Management and linking with Marine Spatial Planning and ecosystem based fisheries management (EAFM) tools, regional organizations and local stakeholders can focus their energies on enhancing collaboration and resource-sharing. Mapping regional initiatives was also identified as a key step, providing a visual representation of overlapping efforts and revealing opportunities for deeper synergy.

Capacity building emerged as another critical priority, with calls for joint training programs and knowledge exchanges to equip stakeholders with the skills needed to tackle these interconnected crises. 

To ensure the region’s efforts do not go unnoticed, leaders emphasized the importance of showcasing their work on the global stage—starting with a strong presence at major international forums like the 2025 UN Ocean Conference.

The EAS region, with its history of partnerships and collaboration, leads the challenging yet clear path forward in combating the TPC, through amplifying successes of the region on the global stage, fostering partnerships and integrating efforts across sectors.

Read more about the Triple Planetary Crises in the East Asian Seas Region session.