After the conclusion last month’s Our Ocean 2022 conference held in Palau, the U.S. State Dept. today announced over 110 commitments from 14 agencies and offices totaling ~$2.64 billion.
Commitments include an effort to encourage countries to commit to conserve, protect, or restore at least 30% of waters under their national jurisdiction by 2030, expand the membership of the Marine Protected Area Agency Partnership to include greater geographic representation, support for coastal zone management, restoration, and habitat conservation, develop a new “climate ready” marine protected area assessment tool, and joining the High Ambition Coalition for People and Nature.
In an announcement at the conference, Environmental Protection Agency Asst. Administrator for International and Tribal Affairs Jane Nishida announced a $542 million investment to reduce pollution and plastic waste in the ocean, with substantial funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. EPA’s commitment includes $350 million in recycling infrastructure improvements and education, $132 million for National Estuary Program improvements to reduce pollutant loadings into freshwater ecosystems and the ocean, and $60 million to support Mississippi River states, Ohio, and Indiana in efforts to reduce nutrients in waterways and the size of the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico.
Nishida said that “[t]he vast majority of the plastic trash entering our oceans is due to inadequate waste management,” and that EPA “is committed to reducing plastic waste from the United States and we look forward to working with governments around the world to reduce the threat to ocean ecosystems.”
