Ocean Taskforce Relaunched at the 2026 Bath Conference

Group photo from taskforce meeting, 11 September 2026.

On the last day of the 2026 ESG Conference, we came together as an international, interdisciplinary group of scholars and practitioners to relaunch the Ocean Taskforce. The taskforce will serve as a platform within the ESG community for all ocean-related research. Last year, the taskforce welcomed new leadership: Alice Vadrot (University of Vienna), Elizabeth Nyman (Texas A&M University), and Peter M. Haas (University of Massachusetts) took over from the previous leads.

The 2026 ESG Conference provided a valuable opportunity to introduce the new co-conveners and update the taskforce’s mission. The meeting was mostly attended by new members and early career researchers (ECRs). We focused primarily on defining the taskforce’s focus and activities, as well as redrafting its mission statement.

There will be regular meetings of the taskforce, the next is scheduled for October 21 to discuss the next steps, including planning a special issue on ocean governance. These meetings are open for anyone in the ESG community interested in making ocean governance institutions more flexible, transparent and sustainable.

We are also looking for an early career scholar from the ESG network to support the management of the taskforce (organize meetings, support processes for developing joint publications, planning of ESG 2027 panels), if you are interested just email us!

If you want to learn more about us, check out the ESG website: Taskforce on Ocean Governance – Earth System Governance. The website will be updated shortly.

If you are interested in joining the taskforce, email Prof. Alice Vadrot at alice.vadrot@univie.ac.at