During pre-recorded brief remarks at the Our Ocean 2022 conference held in Palau (see 47:04 mark here), President Biden today underscored the importance of ocean health for future conservation as well as survival today for island states around the world.
Biden said that “we can no longer delay action” in areas including climate change, pollution, plastics, and overfishing, calling this “a decisive decade.” In doing so, he cited administration actions to date including efforts to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, collaborate with other countries to implement green shipping corridors, conserve at least 30% of U.S. waters by 2030, and counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and forced labor at sea.
Biden added that his administration will be announcing several new commitments at the conference stating that “protecting our oceans is the responsibility of every human on earth.”
Immediately preceding the President’s remarks, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry addressed the conference in person (see 21:12 mark here), telling attendees that now is the time to accelerate the transition to a clean energy future. Kerry underscored the ocean’s contributions to livelihoods and food security and the importance of ocean commitments by non-state actors including the private sector and NGOs.
In stressing the urgency of investments now in efforts to reduce emissions that are warming the oceans, Kerry cited risks of climate change for coral reefs, fisheries, and crustaceans and specifically highlighted the loss of Pacific bluefin tuna and sharks and the effects of piracy and IUU fishing on marine life.
Kerry emphasized that despite the challenges, there is still time to avoid the worse impacts of climate change, and in so doing noted U.S. efforts and opportunities to reduce shipping emissions, accelerate offshore and onshore renewable energy, implement nature-based solutions like the 30×30 conservation initiative, strengthen enforcement to reduce IUU fishing, reach a new global agreement on plastic, support the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, redesignate the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument as a National Marine Sanctuary, and reduce marine pollution through EPA grants in support of recycling efforts.
Lastly, during a subsequent panel discussion on Confronting the Ocean-Climate Crisis (see 10:28 mark here), NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad in part highlighted the importance of marine protected areas and the work of the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, stating that the Panel will provide the vehicle for developing the plans for sustainable use of the oceans. He underscored the need for the requisite science and technology, the necessary policy vehicles, and the means to plan accordingly, stating that “failing to plan is planning to fail.”
