During the 2023 Our Ocean Conference in Panama on Mar. 2-3, the United States made 77 commitments valued at ~$6 billion in support of ocean health. Commitments included the following:
- 30 announcements (~$5 billion) related to climate change, including efforts to promote green shipping renewable energy, coastal community health, resilience, and vitality, and climate observation, modeling, and research
- 5 announcements ($11 million) related to marine protected areas, including support for MPAs domestically and in national waters of partner countries and coral reef conservation and resilience
- 7 announcements (~$665 million) related to sustainable fisheries, including efforts to improve climate resilience and increase transparency in actions that tackle illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing
- 10 announcements (~$200 million) related to marine pollution, including support for addressing the FSO Safer oil tanker
- 11 announcements (~$73 million) related to sustainable blue economies, including support for efforts to address technology innovation, the circular economy, and addressing climate challenges
- 14 announcements (~$72 million) related to maritime security, including support for strengthening maritime law enforcement
U.S. Asst. Interior Sec. for Insular and International Affairs Carmen Cantor attended the conference in Panama to highlight DOI’s role in ocean, Great Lakes, and coastal conservation, stating that DOI is “committed to conserving and restoring the health and productivity of the ocean for the benefit of all Americans,” and adding that “[w]ith new resources from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are investing in collaborative, science-driven conservation that is advancing coastal climate resilience and jumpstarting the offshore wind industry to advance America’s clean energy economy.”
Prior to the conference, the United States convened Summit of the Americas governments to talk about ideas for supporting green shipping and strengthening coastal ecosystems, with recommendations presented by the Panama Canal Authority, Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, and Conservation International.
Governments were urged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping, protect and restore blue carbon ecosystems, protect coastlines from climate impacts, and support biodiversity.