The Ocean Climate Action campaign has resulted in huge wins for the ocean, coasts, and the climate movement. Learn more about the work that led up these historic accomplishments and the next steps to turn these policies into action below.
In 2019, the Center for the Blue Economy and partner organization Blue Frontier led a national coalition of NGOs, legislators, environmental justice activists, industry leaders, and academics to develop the blueprint for a national Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP). We published our initial report in July of 2020.
The campaign was incredibly successful, leading to the inclusion of billions of dollars in ocean climate funding in two major federal bills—the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. In addition, the Biden-Harris Administration enacted many ocean climate executive actions and in March 2023 released its own U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan that largely mirrors our recommendations.
The Center for the Blue Economy, in partnership with a large coalition of NGOs, is assessing all the Biden Administration’s commitments to ocean-climate policy, conferring with the country’s leading experts in conservation, equity, and industry to outline the critical next steps to accelerate the transition to a new blue economy for the 21st century. We are specifically highlighting actions the Administration can take in the next 18 months without Congressional approval to equitably and efficiently make ocean-climate action a reality.
The ocean, the Great Lakes, our nations rivers and estuaries buffer the effects of climate change by sequestering carbon, protecting from storm surge, stabilizing weather patterns, and fostering biodiversity. Climate change and ocean health are often thought about as separate silos, when the two are interconnected. Climate change is warming the ocean and changing their chemistry. Without ocean health, the entire planetary water cycle and oxygen cycle are in danger. The ocean sequesters huge amounts of carbon dioxide helping to cool the planet, but that may not continue with “business as usual.” Climate change affects even those far from any coastline. We must solve the ocean climate challenge together, and we have a short window of time to take action.
Ocean-based climate solutions refer to investments and innovations in:
Read our 30-page Ocean Climate Action Plan for detailed and attainable ocean-climate solutions. Our colleagues at the Ocean Defense Initiative have also recently put out a white paper called the Blueprint for Ocean Climate Action, and we fully support and applaud this set of recommendations! Finally, the Biden-Harris Administration also has a detailed set of targets outlined in the U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan.
The Middlebury Institute attracts amazing faculty and students, and affords amazing opportunities. This spring and summer, MIIS students became published authors, filled a missing gap in historic scientific knowledge, and sailed the open seas.
| by Rachel Christopherson and Anthony Castelletto
The National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP) website has long been one of the few places where researchers and the public could go to for data on the Blue Economy. This year we have overhauled the site with new datasets (natural capital, renewable energy, and climate change) and responsive reports.
| by Mark Anderson
Unprecedented research conducted by the Center for the Blue Economy and Monterey Bay Aquarium with support from Institute students found sea otters drive about $3 million in local ecotourism.
Our colleagues at the Ocean Defense Initiative have put out this great video explainer.
Here is a brief timeline to call to mind how inspiring and effective this movement has been, building on 50+ years of climate science and 20+ years of climate advocacy:
Looking back, it is remarkable how a small group of people grew into a national movement that is fulfilling it’s intended purpose: strong local and federal ocean-climate policy signed into law as soon as possible. The climate emergency is an ocean emergency. There is no time to waste.
“The ocean is one of the most powerful tools we have to help head off the worst consequences of global climate change,” says Ocean Climate Action Plan signatory Mike Conathan in a recent Hill Article.
The non-partisan Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP) was developed in collaboration with hundreds of organizations and primary signatory supporters beginning in 2019 with Blue Frontier and the Center for the Blue Economy acting as convenors. OCAP, published in July of 2020, includes the best ideas from industry leaders, marine conservationists, academics, frontline communities, youth activists, and policymakers. It is a template for strong federal legislation, and indeed, many components of our work have influenced Congressional and executive actions, initiatives, and laws. After coalition building around the ideas in the Ocean Climate Action Plan, our next step was direct action—hosting meetings with top officials, and hosting the Ocean Climate Action (Virtual) Capitol Hill Lobby Day. On April 13th, 2021, a small, core group of the Ocean Climate Action Coalition met with 11 key federal agencies including: EPA Office of Environmental Justice, Dept. of Energy, NOAA, FEMA, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Department of Transportation, Marine Mammal Commission, EPA Office of Water, Department of Commerce, White House Council on Environmental Quality/Office of Science & Technology Policy, and the U.S. Coast Guard. On April 14th, 1000+ members of the public were mobilized and held meetings with 107 Members of the House of Representatives and their staff, and 33 Senators and staff. The broad coalition (many of whom had never lobbied their elected representatives before) sent a clear message to our national policymakers: you cannot solve the climate crisis without ocean health, and ocean health is key to solving the climate crisis. Our advocacy work continues, and we are now working on a report card to hold lawmakers and the Biden-Harris Administration to account for their promises. There is no planet B. We have no time to waste.
For questions and suggestions, please contact the Ocean Climate Action Coalition co-organizer:
Jason Scorse
Director of the Center for the Blue Economy
jscorse@miis.edu
centerfortheblueeconomy.org
