The State Department today announced that it is seeking comments by Friday, June 16 on the proposed scope for the upcoming United States Ocean Acidification Action Plan (“Action Plan”), which it says will highlight U.S. leadership in reducing carbon emissions, strengthening monitoring, research, and coordination efforts, and investing in adaptive measures. Public comments are also sought on suggestions for “ambitious” national-level policy, technical, scientific, or management actions to be included in the Action Plan.
The proposed scope includes brief overviews of the cause of ocean acidification and its impacts, the national-level framework of federal agency policies, programs, and actions to reduce carbon emissions, coordinate research and monitoring efforts, and adapt to ocean acidification (and remaining challenges), and subnational efforts to address ocean acidification. Additionally, it includes proposed/planned future federal actions and goals related to ocean acidification and its root causes, and new ideas for global engagement to address ocean acidification impacts.
The State Dept. noted that development of the action plan is a commitment made by all members of the International Alliance to Combat Ocean Acidification, which the United States joined in June 2022. The announcement also stated that the Action Plan is intended to complement the Ocean Climate Action Plan by addressing “one of the key impacts on the ocean from anthropogenic carbon emissions.”
