Ocean Climate Action Coalition Media Kit
The Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP) Media Kit includes social media suggestions, specific talking points and policy recommendations, videos from key supporters who helped to craft the plan, OCAP-related articles, logos, photos, and media contacts. Learn all about the Ocean Climate Action Coalition!
THANK YOU SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES for passing the biggest funding package for clean energy and climate solutions in US History!
On August 7, 2022, the Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act using the budget reconciliation process to pass $369 billion in energy security and climate change programs over the next ten years. On August 12, 2022, the House of Representatives followed suit. While not perfect, the bill is the best hope we have to address climate change now. Please take a moment to THANK your legislators for supporting the bill! We have secured a major step in securing a livable future, healthy ocean, and long-term sustainability and prosperity. There is much yet to do, but for now we CELEBRATE AND THANK THE OCEAN CLIMATE ACTION COALITION! THIS IS YOUR WIN!
Want to learn more about the historic Inflation Reduction Act? We have some resources to recommend (and for you to re-post on your social media networks):
- the Ocean Defense Initiative looks at the pros and cons in their “Toolkit: Ocean and Coastal Provisions in the Senate Inflation Reduction Act” and after the House passed the bill, they created “Toolkit: Inflation Reduction Act Passes House.”
- “The New Climate Bill’s Ripple Effect on Oceans,” by Jason Scorse and David Helvarg
- Reflections on the historic Inflation Reduction Act, 14-minute interview with Jason Scorse & Middlebury host Andrew Cassel
- Deep dive into the bill’s provisions with Volts host David Roberts and guests Jesse Jenkins, Princeton professor and energy modeler, and Leah Stokes, professor of political science at UC Santa Barbara
OCEAN CLIMATE ACTION SOCIAL MEDIA
Feel free to build your own posts, or simply retweet @CBE_MIIS or facebook @CenterForTheBlueEconomy or instagram @OceanClimateAction.
Thank you Senate + House of Representatives for passing the #InflationReductionAct! This is a historic win for the #Climate, #CleanEnergy, and the #Oceans! THANK YOU @SenateDems and @HouseDems FOR GETTIN’ ‘ER DONE!
The #InflationReductionAct (#IRA) is a huge step forward to reducing emissions, the most important thing we can do for the ocean. But we can’t stop there. The Biden-Harris Administration must take #OceanClimateAction & protect the communities on the frontlines of the #ClimateCrisis.
- What do we want? #ClimateAction! When do we want it? #Now! #OceanClimateAction2021! www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
- Thank you @sylviaearle for these wise words. Without #OceanHealth, our entire global #WaterCycle is in peril. Without #biodiversity, the #oceans can’t fight #ClimateChange. We must act now for the health of our oceans, rivers, lakes and ourselves. www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
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Thank you #OceanClimateAction Plan signatory @JohnKerry for your years of activism, pointing out the #OceanClimate connection. Now is the time to act. www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
- Thank you @DebHaalandNM (now Secretary of the Interior Haaland). More than 50% of the air we breathe is generated by the #ocean. Inland states economies are tied to the coasts. #OceanHealth and #Biodiversity are critical for solving the #ClimateCrisis. www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
- NOW IS THE TIME to make BOLD INVESTMENTS in #CleanEnergy #OffshoreWind #CleanPorts to create #Jobs and the #ClimateCrisis. #ActOnClimate #OceanClimateAction. www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
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Thank you @JoeCunninghamSC. The #Ocean<>#ClimateChange>>#GlobalWarming is affecting #OceanHealth and without a thriving ocean, all life systems are in peril. #ActOnClimate #OceanClimateAction www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
- #Oceans, #Wetlands, #Mangroves sink 1/4 to 1/3 of annual CO2 emissions, but the #ClimateCrisis is changing the temperature and chemistry of global oceans—we must address the root causes of #ClimateChange and restore #OceanHealth and #NatureBasedSolutions as key solutions. #OceanClimateAction www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
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The US has significant wind resources that can provide #Renewable electricity for the nation, low-cost power, and #energy independence. #OceanClimateAction2021. #ActOnClimate! www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
- Thank you @DebHaalandNM for this #wisdom. The #ClimateCrisis is the existential threat of our times. We must move post-disaster $ into pre-disaster planning! Fund a #ClimateCorp to create job$ and #JustTransition to #OceanClimateAction2021 We must #ActOnClimate! www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
- #Storms and #Flooding are increasing with #ClimateChange. We must PLAN NOW for #ClimateReality. #ActOnClimate #OceanClimateAction www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
(Side note: This photo is of Hurricane Sandy, the deadliest and most destructive, as well as the strongest, hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season. Inflicting nearly $70 billion (2012 USD) in damage, it was the second-costliest hurricane on record in the United States until surpassed by Hurricanes Harvey and Maria in 2017. source: Wikipedia)
- Thank you @SenJeffMerkley. NOW IS THE TIME to #ActOnClimate—the #ClimateCrisis is the #OceanCrisis—We must move away from fossil fuels, creating #Infrastructure for #CleanEnergy #Jobs and a #JustTransition. www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
- Thank you @JoeCunninghamSC. The #Ocean<>#ClimateChange>>#GlobalWarming is affecting #OceanHealth and without a thriving ocean, all life systems are in peril. #ActOnClimate #OceanClimateAction www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
- #OffshoreRenewable #WaveEnergy #TidalEnergy, #ThermalEnergy with strict life-cycle and impact standards address the #ClimateCrisis for a #JustTransition and #Jobs. #ActOnClimate #OceanClimateAction #CleanOceanEnergy. www.oceanclimateaction2022.org
Ocean Climate Action Large Logo
Need a bigger image to use or size to your specs? This graphic created by Jim Toomey (creator of Sherman’s Lagoon cartoon series) is our main Ocean Climate Action logo. To download the graphic, click here: Ocean Climate Action logo (1536x1152).
Where to Find Ocean Climate Action Co-Leads (Center for the Blue Economy and Blue Frontier) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and the Web
@OceanClimateAction
@BlueFrontierCampaign
VIDEOS
Youth for Ocean Climate Action
Georgia led youth make the connection between the ocean and climate change, and ask the public for action!
How Adaptation Gets Done--The Miami Beach Story
Ms. Elizabeth Wheaton, Director of the Environment and Sustainability Department for the City of Miami Beach describes her city’s innovative adaptation actions. She spoke as part of the Ocean Climate Action Webinar, held April 29, 2020, hosted by the Center for the Blue Economy and Blue Frontier.
How to Fix the Broken Flood Insurance Program
Mr. Frank Nutter, President of the Reinsurrance Association of America presents ideas that can save the National Flood Insurance Program from insolvency, and make it truly responsive to community need. He spoke as part of the Ocean Climate Action Webinar, held April 29, 2020, hosted by the Center for the Blue Economy and Blue Frontier.
California State Controller Betty Yee Tells It Like It Is
Betty Yee speaks frankly about the ocean and the economy at the October 2019 meeting of the Ocean Climate Action Plan Summit, hosted by the Center for the Blue Economy at the Middlebury Institute and Blue Frontier.
Three Minutes of Blue New Deal Inspiration
Watch highlights from a few of our keynote speakers who helped to open the Ocean Climate Action Webinar. Three minutes of inspiration to spark a movement.
Full Video from the Ocean Climate Action Webinar, April 29, 2020
Want to see a certain section or speaker? Click this OCAP webinar navigation document for start & end times of each section, and click on the names in the document for bio links of speakers.
The Role of Blue Carbon in Climate Change Impacts
This news story by KPBS in San Diego features one of our partners, WildCoast, in our fight to bring ocean climate legislation to the national fore in 2021. It defines blue carbon and how it can help defend against the effects of climate change. Blue carbon is a part of the coastal adaptation recommendations in the Ocean Climate Action Plan, a non-partisan policy paper co-created by the Center for the Blue Economy, Blue Frontier, and our partner organizations.
OCAP IN THE MEDIA
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Want to fight Russian aggression in Ukraine and beyond? Decarbonize, by David Helvarg and Jason Scorse in The San Francisco Chronicle, March 2, 2022
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The ocean needs our help — now, by David Helvarg and Jason Scorse in MSN online, January 6, 2022
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We can Save our Coasts with a $10 Billion Investment, by David Helvarg and Daniel Hayden in the Hill, August 19, 2021
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From Negligence to Malevolence: How the Climate Crisis has Gone Critical, by David Helvarg in the Progressive, July 20, 2021
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Charting a Sustainable Course for the Blue Economy, by David Helvarg and Jason Scorse in the Nation, June 8, 2021 (World Ocean Day)
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Does Biden Have an Ocean Policy?, by David Helvarg in the Hill, April 29, 2021
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Ocean Climate Action Capitol Hill Lobby Day 2021-Recap, by Rachel Christopherson, April 16, 2021 on MIIS web.
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Join the Virtual Capitol Hill Lobby Day for ocean climate action on April 14, Our Daily Planet, April 9th, 2021
- Ocean Climate Coalition To Lobby US Government In April, by John Liang in Deeper Blue, March 12, 2021
- Biden’s Climate Plan Can Work if it’s Sea to Shining Sea, by Jason Scorse & David Helvarg in the Hill, February 4, 2021
- The Ocean Under Biden, by David Helvarg in The Hill, December 17, 2020
- Biden and the Ocean, podcast from partners at Blue Frontier, interview with Mike Conathan of the Aspen Institute, November 9, 2020
- The Ocean Climate Action Plan: Turning Ideas into Advocacy, webinar presentation by Jason Scorse and Elise Birkett, part of the World Views speaker series at the Middlebury Inst., October 28, 2020
- “You can’t address climate by ignoring 71 percent of the planet,” Op-Ed by David Helvarg and Jason Scorse, The Hill, 10/27/2020
- Biden-Harris will Deliver a Powerful Blue Economy, by Jason Scorse and David Helvarg in Our Daily Planet, October 10, 2020
- Trump to Ocean: Drop Dead, by David Helvarg in the Progressive, October 7, 2020
- We Need A Blue New Deal Too. Here’s Why, by Allison Licence in 1 Million Women News, August 4, 2020
- How a Blue New Deal Charts a Course for a Sustainable Sea Change, by Joel Makower in Green Biz, July 20, 2020
- Rising Tide #9 – Talking Blue New Deal, podcast interview by David Helvarg speaking to David talks with Jason Scorse (Center for the Blue Economy) and 16-year-old activist Charley Peebler (Heirs To Our Oceans) about the newly released Ocean Climate Action Plan – Blue New Deal, July 16, 2020
- More Blue is Needed in the Democrats’ Green Plan, by Jason Scorse & David Helvarg in the Hill, July 15, 2020
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Ocean Climate Action Plan offers Cure for Post-Pandemic Economy with Solutions for Climate Emergency: Adds Missing Pieces to House Climate Change Framework, by the OCAP team—Press Release, July 13, 2020
- An Ocean Climate Action Plan for a New Blue Economy, by Jason Scorse & David Helvarg in Our Daily Planet, May 29, 2020
- Oceans advocacy group calls for a ‘Blue New Deal,’ by Sarah Kennedy of ChavoBart Digital Media originally in Yale Climate Connection reposted in EcoWatch, April 21, 2020
- Diving into an Ocean Climate Action Plan, by David Helvarg in Alert Diver, November 19, 2019
- Ocean Activists Call For ‘Blue New Deal,’ by John Liang in Deeper Blue, October 30, 2019
- The Ocean Climate Action Summit: From California Consensus to a National “Blue New Deal,” by Rachel Christopherson in Middlebury Institute News, October 22, 2019
- This Fisherman Wants Us To Use The Oceans To Fight Climate Change, by Maanvi Singh in Huffington Post, October 21, 2019
- Ocean Climate Action Plan Offers Guide for U.S. Response to IPCC Report on Climate Threat to Ocean, by Elli Kerlow, September 26, 2019
- Enthusiasm builds for ‘Blue New Deal’ after climate town hall, by Rebecca Beitsch in The Hill, Sept.8, 2019
- A blue new deal for a blue marble planet, by David Helvarg in Mission Blue News, July 10, 2019
- Why a green climate deal needs more blue, by David Helvarg and Jason Scorse in Sea Technology, April 3, 2019
- Putting the Blue in the Green New Deal, by Jason Scorse and David Helvarg in Mongabay, March 13, 2019
Rising Tide Podcasts from Blue Frontier
Podcasts, blogs, news articles and books from the Blue Frontier, click here: Rising Tide Podcasts & Blue News
BLUE ECONOMY AND OCEAN IMAGES—PUBLIC DOMAIN
Ocean Climate Action Plan Background
On March 13th, 2019, David Helvarg of the Blue Frontier and Jason Scorse of the Center for the Blue Economy wrote “Putting the Blue in the Green New Deal,” an opinion piece in the scientific magazine Mongabay. The two ocean-focused non-profit organizations realized that they were uniquely positioned to act as conveners who could bring together thought leaders to refine and expand the initial ideas into the Ocean Climate Action Plan. A meeting of California leaders was convened on October 18th—more about that meeting can be found here: The Ocean Climate Action Summit—California Meeting.
On January 13th, 2020, the first consensus draft of the Ocean Climate Action Plan was released (based on comments from our Oct.18 meeting in California). After a comment period, the second draft was released on March 12th, 2020.
On Wednesday, April 29th, 2020, the two organizations hosted a webinar that looked in depth at the issues addressed by the Ocean Climate Action Plan. After introductory remarks by Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Congresswoman Deb Haaland of New Mexico, Congressman Joe Cunningham of South Carolina, and Ms. Franceska De Oro, youth activist from Guam, we spent one hour on each of the four parts of the plan. (Full webinar video and guide to sections and speakers above). The final plan took into consideration the 100 questions and comments raised during the webinar, and we encouraged the public to give further feedback on Draft #2.
The final draft of the Ocean Climate Action Plan was published on July 13th, 2020. Next began the process of translating the final recommendations into legislative and policy language at the state and federal levels. Much of the OCAP recommendations were adopted into the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act, HR8632.
On April 14, 2021, in one of the largest and certainly most timely Ocean lobbies in U.S. history, over 300 people from more than 30 states and territories met with 107+ Members of the House of Representatives and their staff, and 33+ Senators and staff. Over 150 virtual meetings took place on Ocean Climate Action Lobby Day! The coalition (many of whose members had never visited with 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.
We will continue to build the broad coalition and constituency needed to support ocean climate bills in the U.S. Congress. This will include a media campaign, opinion pieces, and your support spreading the message from sea to shining sea.
Our goal is 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 Climate Action Plan Team
The development of the Ocean Climate Action plan was a collaboration between the Center for the Blue Economy and Blue Frontier, with considerable input from the Youth Advisory Council. The two organizations acted as conveners bringing together more than 800 people to give input into the final recommendations. Read more about OCAP team by clicking the links below.
Center for the Blue Economy (CBE)
Our mission at the Center for the Blue Economy is to promote a sustainable, resilient ocean and coastal economy (the “Blue Economy”) through leadership in research, analysis, and education.
To download the CBE LOGO, click here: Center for the Blue Economy logo
Blue Frontier
Blue Frontier is a national leader in providing resources and opportunities to bring citizens who care about the health of our coasts and ocean into the decision making process.
To download the BLUE FRONTIER LOGO, click here: Blue Frontier logo
OCAP MEDIA CONTACTS
David Helvarg, Director, Blue Frontier
Helvarg@bluefront.org
202-491-6296
Jason Scorse, Director, Center for the Blue Economy
Jscorse@miis.edu
831-239-2333
Be Part of the Solution!
- CONTACT your Legislators and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to demand Ocean Climate Action now!
- JOIN the Ocean Climate Action Mailing List to stay informed of developments and actions
- SIGN the original Ocean Climate Action Petition and stand with us! Sign the Youth 4 Ocean Climate Action Petition to stand with the youth!
- READ the Ocean Climate Action Plan (30 pages) to educate yourself on the specific policies to create change.
- SHARE our Twitter feed @CBE_MIIS and use the hashtag #OceanClimateAction to demand change.
- BE INSPIRED by, and help grow, the diverse list of Primary Signatory Supporters fighting with us (John Kerry, Jane Fonda, Philippe and Ashlan Cousteau, indigenous groups, industry leaders, environmental and business leaders).