March 22, 2023

Colleagues:

The Ocean Policy Committee, co-chaired by the White House Council on Environmental Quality and the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, released today the first-ever United States Ocean Climate Action Plan (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ocean-Climate-Action-Plan_Final.pdf), a groundbreaking roadmap to harness the power of the ocean to advance transformational steps to protect ocean health and address the climate crisis. Acknowledging that there is no path to a healthy and livable climate without the ocean, the plan outlines new actions on the Administration’s ocean-climate priorities, including efforts to advance climate solutions, promote environmental justice, support healthy communities, and ensure a robust and sustainable ocean economy.

Today, President Biden announced the OCAP in Washington D.C. at the White House Conservation Summit. After applause for the OCAP, the President remarked “We owe to our children, our grandchildren, our great great grandchildren, and all to come, what we have and what we can preserve. There’s nothing beyond our capacity if we work together.”

NSF (GEO/OCE) co-chaired the Ocean Climate Action Plan workgroup, which led the development on this ambitious and much needed plan to address the climate crisis through ocean-based climate solutions and interagency partnerships. NSF is excited to work with partners on implementing a variety of the ambitious initiatives included in the report, which includes ensuring large-scale, robust, sustained, and adequate ocean observations, U.S. marine carbon dioxide removal, and identifying opportunities to co-locate ocean climate solutions, among many other topics. 

The climate crisis cannot be solved without the oceans, and many ocean issues require addressing the climate crisis. This interdependence of the ocean-climate nexus necessitates urgent ocean-based climate solutions research, and NSF is ready to contribute to these efforts. Undertaking the actions described in the OCAP will provide other benefits beyond climate mitigation, such as new, well-paying and sustainable jobs, a diverse workforce, and equitable access to the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes, as well as more resilient global food production, biodiversity protection, and future ocean discovery and innovation.

Link to the OCAP: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ocean-Climate-Action-Plan_Final.pdf 

White House Fact Sheet on Conservation Summit including OCAP: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/21/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-takes-new-action-to-conserve-and-restore-americas-lands-and-waters/ 

Full Remarks Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R3ERpr5w_w 

Sincerely,

James McManus
Division Director, OCE

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