Democratising Climate Risk Information: Introducing The Climate Risk Index For Biodiversity (CRIB)
In our rapidly changing world, the health of marine ecosystems is more crucial than ever as they face various threats, such as climate change. Approximately 90 per cent of the heat produced by increasing emissions has been absorbed by the ocean, triggering a series of consequences such as melting ice, rising sea levels, marine heat waves, and ocean acidification.
Therefore, we need accessible and actionable climate risk information for everyone, not just specialists. At Vizzuality, we’re thrilled to announce our partnership with Oceans North and the Future of Marine Ecosystem Research Lab at Dalhousie University to launch the Climate Risk Index for Biodiversity (CRIB), a groundbreaking tool designed to democratize ocean climate risk assessment.
The Problem: Barriers to Effective Climate Risk Management
Climate change profoundly impacts our ecosystems and way of life. However, the scientific evidence necessary for informed policy decisions and urgent management actions is often inaccessible. The problem is twofold:
- Understanding climate impacts requires expertise in interpreting technical climate models, restricting this knowledge to researchers and experts. Crucial information about risks to food supply chains and ecosystem health remains confined within the scientific community.
- While physical coastal risk indices exist, a comprehensive measure quantifying risks to marine species, ecosystems, and human communities still needs to be improved. Especially one that is replaceable and scalable. Fisheries authorities, marine spatial planners, and Marine Protected Area (MPA) managers need accessible decision-support tools and evidence to effectively understand and mitigate climate change risks.
Introducing CRIB: An Innovative Solution for Marine Biodiversity
In the last two years, an international team of scientists developed an innovative ocean-wide climate risk index for marine biodiversity, to address the above gaps. This index identifies hotspots where species are at risk due to rising greenhouse gas emissions, enabling the prioritization of vulnerable species and ecosystems for urgent climate mitigation measures.
Our next step is operationalising this index through an open, accessible, interactive, dynamic, and intuitive online digital platform for decision-makers and non-specialists. We are actively seeking support to fully realize our vision for this transformative platform.
Goals: Building Climate Resilience and Awareness
CRIB’s goals include creating more climate-resilient fisheries, adapting MPA networks to climate change, fostering transboundary climate resilience, and financing initiatives that account for climate risk. By democratizing access to climate risk information, CRIB aims to educate communities about the impacts of climate change on nature and society, enhancing decision-making and prioritization processes.
A Diverse Range of Users
CRIB serves a diverse range of users across different sectors:
- Fisheries Managers: Regional, national, and transnational authorities will benefit from tailored data to manage fisheries sustainably.
- MPA Policy Makers and Managers: Use CRIB to develop climate-adapted MPA networks.
- Marine Spatial Planners and NGOs: Gain insights to support marine conservation and spatial planning.
- Finance and Insurance Sectors: Integrate climate risk into blue economy financing decisions.
- Research Community and Citizens: Access localized data relevant to their interests and needs.
The Big Vision: Raising Global Awareness of Climate Risks
Our vision is to inform society about climate risks to nature and their consequences for people, such as socioeconomic risks to communities, livelihoods, and economies due to fisheries collapse and ecotourism loss. In the future, CRIB will integrate additional social risks, such as resource and nutritional threats, to enable better decision-making and prioritization. The end goal is a platform that integrates a range of risks across sectors and people, covering:
- Terrestrial and marine.
- Ecosystems and agriculture.
- Cities and health.
Partners and People
CRIB is a collaborative effort sponsored by Oceans North and supported by Dalhousie University and Vizzuality. The team leading CRIB includes Dr. Daniel Boyce (Fisheries and Oceans Canada), Dr. Derek Tittensor (Dalhousie University), Katie Schleit and Susanna Fuller (Oceans North), and Michael Harfoot (Vizzuality).
On Wed 10 July Katie Schleit presented CRIB at the FAO Committee on Fisheries meeting.
A Climate Risk Index for Biodiversity: A tangible tool for achieving climate resilient fisheries.
Description: The global climate risk index for biodiversity (CRIB) synthesizes multiple data streams to produce risk information for 24,975 marine species, facilitating climate-informed fisheries management. We will showcase a web-based platform managers and stakeholders can use to prioritize, rank, and triage stocks or species at multiple scales.
Follow our Medium account and social media to stay tuned for more updates as we move closer to making climate risk information accessible to all.
