We saw in the finale of the climate summit, no proper consensus, but two of the most powerful global economies and their conflicting national strategies dominating, then deadlocking the negotiations.  

The result, an official non-agreement, had certain and profound effects on the future of our oceans.

The absence of a legally binding agreement now supports procrastination and nurtures indecision in an industry that requires years of lead time to change course. 

Of course, the climate too, is produced by immense thermal and chemical systems that require many years of lead time to react to inputs.  If we look to the lifetimes of our children, considering only the known mechanisms and the imbalances already incurred, we can predict many negative changes to our ocean.

Significant changes in acidity, biodiversity, temperature, volume, salinity and storm severity/frequency are unfortunately unavoidable.
        
Shipping, and by that I mean we seafarers and we who guide development of the maritime industries from offices ashore, holds some of the potential for the needed mitigation and adaptation to the problem of climate and sea changes.  

But the present rate of concerted action to reverse the trends and restore balance to our biosphere does not meet the minimums dictated by the science.

We are not converting quickly enough to low-carbon industry; slow, small, and evolutionary changes will not avert the huge, near irreversible losses that become inevitable as more greenhouse gasses are released into the air.

One way we can reduce the problems of impasse and inspire accelerated solutions is with a tried and beloved seafaring tradition.  

Fraternity beyond borders is  surely among the oldest, and perhaps most noble of instincts among sailors.  For millennia, men at sea would gladly bear towards another ship and send up a signal in good weather or bad, and come to the aid of any vessel under any flag; now we share global networks of trust, common respect, and law that transcend the cultures, languages and histories that we carry from our home ports.  

Our solidarity and mutual respect make us better endowed to cooperatively solve problems of the international commons than are landlocked industries, institutions and governments.

History and common sense show us that consensus among parties correlates with improvements in the stewardship of our oceans.  

On the political world map, land is a patchwork of sovereign dissociated colours, while our ocean is a true and common blue. And that commonness shows promise if we in shipping adopt the spirits of shared future and collective will.