Introduction: Applying a Human Rights Lens to the Ocean-Climate Nexus

We have known that climate change negatively impacts on the marine environment since the 1990s.2 And we are increasingly aware of the role the ocean plays in climate regulation, although we are still unveiling the full extent, and the fragility, of the contributions of deep-sea ecosystems to climate change mitigation.3 Meanwhile, the effects of climate change on individuals and communities are increasingly understood as human rights threats4 and violations,5 and some climate change responses have been identified as threats to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, including marine biodiversity.6