COP30 put the ocean back on the climate map, and not a minute too soon. From new commitments to a fresh focus on actually doing (not just promising), there’s reason to feel hopeful. But if we’re honest? We’ve still got a long swim ahead. 🏊

Here’s our Ocean Bottle take on what COP30 meant for the sea, the highs, the headwinds, and what needs to happen next.

🫡 Ocean officially on the agenda.
Thanks to the “Blue NDC Challenge” launched by Brazil and France, countries are now being urged to include ocean solutions, like mangrove protection, coral restoration, and coastal resilience, in their national climate plans.

🔧 Less talk, more action.
Belém put implementation front and centre. Finally. The Global Stocktake kicked off, meaning countries now need to show the receipts - not just make pledges.

🌱 Nature-based solutions got love.
There was strong support for safeguarding coastal ecosystems. Mangroves, reefs, seagrass which store carbon, feed communities, and shield coastlines and one of the reasons we’re funding these quiet climate heroes with our Twilight Coastline Collection 

🌍 High Seas Treaty picked up speed.
Brazil committed to ratifying the High Seas Treaty, a huge move for creating Marine Protected Areas in global waters that, until now, have had zero oversight.

🧪 Ocean science in the spotlight.
New reports and data were used to guide decisions, helping ground climate policy in evidence and giving the ocean a stronger weight in the room.

❌ Plastic pollution = ignored.
Despite plastic being one of the biggest threats to ocean health (and a sneaky carbon emitter), it didn’t get meaningful airtime. A reminder that together we need to keep the peddle to the metal, collecting ocean-bound plastic. 

🔥 Not enough emissions cuts.
We’re still way off course for the 1.5°C goal. That’s bad news for our oceans, more heat, more acidification, more damage to marine life.

🚢 Big ocean tools left off the table.
From offshore drilling to shipping emissions, many high-impact levers were barely discussed. Ocean-based solutions exist, but too many were left on the sidelines.

💸 Finance still falling short.
Ocean action is wildly underfunded. There’s a $149B annual gap in meeting ocean targets, and oceans aren’t even listed as a priority in most major climate finance roadmaps.

💬 So What Now?

At Ocean Bottle, we’re not waiting for perfect. Every bottle funds the collection of 1,000 ocean-bound plastic bottles. But we’re also here to push the bigger picture.

✅ The ocean is finally part of the climate conversation.

✅ Now we need more than words. We need action and serious funding.

✅ And we need to connect the dots: ocean, climate, plastic, people.