What Happens After $6.4 Billion in Ocean Pledges? Mombasa Summit Raises the Real Question

Mombasa, Kenya, MMN Correspondent: Imagine standing on the shores of the Indian Ocean, watching as world leaders, scientists, and business leaders gather to promise over $6.4 billion for the health of our seas. That’s exactly what happened at the 11th Our Ocean Conference in Mombasa, Kenya. More than 3,000 delegates came together to put the ocean front and center in the fight against climate change. But here’s the thing that keeps experts up at night: will these promises actually turn into action?

The ocean has been quietly doing us a huge favor. It absorbs about 90% of the extra heat from global warming and captures roughly 25% of our carbon emissions each year. That’s like having a giant, invisible shield protecting us from the worst of climate change. But that shield is starting to crack. Rising sea temperatures, acidification, and damaged ecosystems are the price we’ve been paying. The Mombasa summit was designed to change that story by making marine health a central part of global climate talks.

So what did the conference actually deliver? A preliminary count shows 320 existing ocean commitments worth $6.4 billion, with about $1.1 billion specifically aimed at climate mitigation. These aren’t just empty numbers. They cover new marine protected areas, restoring mangroves and seagrass meadows, cutting down on pollution, and making fisheries more sustainable. African nations took a bold step by pushing to protect parts of the high seas areas beyond any single country’s control. It’s the first major regional effort to safeguard open ocean biodiversity on a global scale.

One standout pledge came from the European Union’s Ocean Eye initiative, which committed €50 million ($57 million) to strengthen marine observation systems. This is especially important because U.S. oceanographic research funding has been shrinking. Better data means better decisions. And in a show of long term commitment, Canada and Jamaica will host the next two Our Ocean Conferences in 2027 and 2029, keeping the momentum alive. Since the series began in 2014, it has mobilized nearly $170 billion in ocean related investments.

But here’s where it gets interesting. Cynthia Barzuna, who leads the conference secretariat at the World Resources Institute, put it plainly: “More important than the new pledges is the actual delivery of commitments.” She noted that while 80% of past commitments are either completed or on track, many projects still struggle. The problem? Fragmented funding models, especially in developing countries. African led initiatives often rely on short term grants, creating what Barzuna calls a “patchwork of impacts” instead of lasting change.

There’s also a bigger tension at play. How do you promote ocean health while continuing to drill for oil and gas? Environmental groups have raised concerns about planned offshore drilling projects in Kenya and other coastal regions, which threaten coral reefs and fish habitats. As Shamini Selvaratnam of the Ocean Conservancy put it, “It’s like asking the dolphin to swim on land.” This contradiction becomes even more pressing as the world gears up for COP31, hosted by Türkiye and Australia. Both nations have historically supported offshore energy development, and now they face pressure to align their policies with their ocean protection rhetoric.

John Kerry, founder of the Our Ocean Conference and former U.S. climate envoy, delivered a powerful message at the opening ceremony. “The ocean can no longer be an afterthought in climate policy,” he said. “Now it must become central to our climate solutions.” He urged governments to match scientific consensus with political will, warning that without implementation, even the most ambitious pledges remain symbolic gestures.

The science backs him up. A recent study in Nature Climate Change found that protecting and restoring marine ecosystems could deliver up to 35% of the emissions reductions needed to limit global warming to 1.5°C by 2050. Mangrove forests alone store up to four times more carbon per hectare than tropical rainforests. Yet these ecosystems are still being destroyed by coastal development, pollution, and unsustainable fishing.

So what does success look like going forward? Experts point to three key factors: sustained financing, inclusive community engagement, and robust accountability. Long term funding structures like dedicated ocean trust funds and blended finance models can help ensure projects don’t collapse when initial grants run out. And local communities, especially Indigenous and coastal populations, need to be empowered as stewards of marine resources. They hold deep traditional knowledge and have the most to gain from healthy oceans.

The Mombasa summit leaves us with a clear choice. The $6.4 billion in pledges represent a huge leap in global commitment to marine protection. But history shows that promises alone don’t save ecosystems. The real test comes in the months ahead, as governments, corporations, and civil society work to turn words into action. Can we transform these pledges into thriving, resilient oceans? The answer will determine whether future generations inherit a living blue planet or a fading memory of what once was.