Media Advisory

Blue Economy And Marine Geoengineering Threats: Stop Commodifying, Experimenting And Exploiting Our Oceans

12 June 2026 | 11.30 AM CEST 

Civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples and climate justice groups will hold a press conference at the UN climate negotiations SB64 expressing concerns with the expansion of false solutions like blue economy initiatives advanced under the guise of climate action, and raise alarm over risky marine geoengineering outdoor experiments and research aimed at commercial interests. 

The speakers will share how blue economy initiatives are impacting communities in the Global Majority world deepening extractivism, enabling a destructive development model, driving displacement and undermining livelihoods. They will also share how marine geoengineering, which are risky and deliberate large-scale technological schemes, aim to manipulate the oceans, do not address the root causes of the climate crisis and aim to temporarily mask some of the effects of climate change. 

Concerningly, blue economy and marine geoengineering are also being advanced through UN climate policy spaces and the impacts of both are wide reaching for communities, cultural survival, food systems and ecosystems. The speakers will also situate these concerns within broader global ocean debates and highlight existing restrictive international governance and precautionary principles. We invite media colleagues to attend to hear frontline perspectives calling for real climate solutions and an end to ocean-based false solutions and dangerous distractions.

Date: 12 June, 2026

Time:  11.30-12.00 Noon CEST
Location: Nairobi-4, WCCB, Bonn and Online Livestream Link

Speakers

• Ranjana Giri, Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development 
• Kwami Kpondzo, Global Forest Coalition
• Aakaluk Adrienne Blatchford, Indigenous Environmental Network
• Mary Church, Center for International Environmental Law

Moderator

• Neha Gupta, Hands Off Mother Earth Alliance

Media Contact

For more information and media requests please reach out to

Neha Gupta, Communications Coordinator 

Email: comms@handsoffmotherearth.org