5 Ocean Victories of 2022

As 2022 comes to a close, I am reflecting on everything we’ve accomplished together on behalf of our ocean throughout the last 12 months.

It’s been an incredibly busy year here at Ocean Conservancy, to say the least. I am ending this year feeling excited—and grateful—for everything we did to promote ocean health and productivity this year. Most of all, I so appreciate all the ocean advocates who stood alongside us to make these wins possible. 

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Join me in reflecting on five tremendous ocean victories from the past year: 

1. California passed a landmark plastics bill.

In June, California passed SB54, also known as the Plastic Pollution Producer Responsibility Act. This bill, which reduces single-use plastic packaging and funds restoration efforts, will eliminate about 23 million tons of plastics over the next decade. That’s equivalent to the weight of almost 1 million redwood trees or 150,000 blue whales. Dr. Anja Brandon, U.S. Plastics Policy Analyst here at Ocean Conservancy, said it best:  “The United States is the number-one generator of plastic waste in the world and a top contributor to the ocean plastics crisis. We can’t solve this problem without U.S. leadership, and by passing this law, California is righting the ship. This is a huge win for our ocean.” Learn more about what is in this historic bill. 

2. We launched a new program to support locally-led climate and ocean justice action. 

In August, Ocean Conservancy launched our Ocean Justice Community Grants program, which amplifies and uplifts the work of historically marginalized ocean advocates. We will fund projects that strengthen coastal communities, promote sustainable fishing, advance ocean innovations and more. We received an impressive range of applications and are excited to share updates on the grantees in 2023. These grants are one way we’re working towards our vision of a healthier ocean, protected by a more just world. Read more about our commitment to advancing ocean justice. 

3. Parties across the globe made strides for our climate. 

In 2022, we joined representatives from around the world at COP27, the annual gathering of countries to advance the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. One of the biggest outcomes this year was the recommitment to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which means countries have a renewed incentive to reduce emissions. This is a critical threshold: Above 1.5°C, our ocean and coasts are severely threatened by acidification, storms, sea level rise, warming and more. We were happy to see that our ocean played a big role in the COP27 conversations, as ocean-based solutions are an imperative part of a sustainable climate future. Read the recap from my Ocean Conservancy colleagues who attended COP27. 

4. The Biden administration invested in ocean-based climate solutions. 

When the Inflation Reduction Act passed in August, it marked the largest investment in climate change solutions in U.S. history. The bill includes steps to decarbonize our ports, increase coastal restoration and incentivize offshore wind efforts. Although there are some parts of the bill that aren’t as positive—measures to prop up the oil and gas industry, for example—it represents a big step in the right direction towards meaningfully addressing climate change and an opportunity to advance ocean justice. We look forward to working with the Biden administration to implement the beneficial parts of the bill and continue to move away from the destructive oil and gas industry. Learn more about what this bill means for our ocean. 

5. Ocean Conservancy celebrated 50 years of ocean conservation. 

This September marked our 50^thanniversary—that’s five decades of advocating for our ocean. Ocean Conservancy has seen so much in the last 50 years—many victories and many challenges. But one thing is for sure: Our network of dedicated ocean advocates has grown tremendously. It’s thanks to you that we’re able to look back on all the ocean triumphs we’ve celebrated together over the years and look forward to what comes next. See my post of some of the highlights over the last 50 years of ocean conservation.

These are just a few of the many ocean wins we celebrated this year, and it makes me more hopeful than ever to see what we can accomplish in 2023. As always, this work wouldn’t be possible without the support of ocean advocates like you. Kick off 2023 by taking action for our ocean.

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Building Climate Resilience Through Ocean Justice

Speaking in October at the National Adaptation Forum (NAF) in Baltimore, Gullah/Geechee Nation Chieftess Queen Quet (recently Ocean Conservancy’s cultural ambassador for promotion of environmental justice and insight into the culture and preservation of the Gullah/ Geechee Nation) shared that there’s no word in Gullah for “collaboration” because working together is completely ingrained in the Gullah/Geechee culture. The NAF, meeting biennially, brings together leaders in the public and private sectors to share ideas on strengthening climate resilience across the nation. 

Queen Quet is the recipient of the Order of the Palmetto in 2021 and more than 300 awards of environmental justice; she is the embodiment of a lifetime of achievement of being a steward of the land and sea. Chieftess’ oral storytelling centers the spirit of collaboration as it relates to solving climate change, the greatest global issue facing us today, and build up resilience and solutions to its growing impact. The ocean’s critical role in climate change—both as a victim and an essential part of the solution—has received more attention, as is its due, in the past several years. One issue extremely important to Ocean Conservancy is the advocacy of ocean justice and equity, too long ignored, in developing ocean policy. 

This year’s NAF was especially important to our organization as it afforded the Ocean Conservancy Ocean Justice team the opportunity to meet with peers in the Ocean Justice Advocacy Group (OJAG)—a terrific representation of the collaboration espoused by Queen Quet. OJAG was born out of the 2021 Capitol Hill Ocean Week and a shared desire to advance ocean policy in a way that better includes the perspectives of coastal Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) communities, increases representation and creates more equitable outcomes.

Since then, the OJAG member organizations have focused on partnering with community-led groups and influencing policy at federal, state and local levels to protect the ocean and coastal communities. Ocean Conservancy defines ocean justice and the mission of our ocean justice work as the fair and equitable distribution of both the benefits of the ocean’s bounty and the burdens of its complex care. Inequalities accelerate ocean harm, strain people’s relationships to the ocean and undercut innovation. Our success depends on our ability to address multiple challenges and remain agile in our work.

Gathering at NAF gave us an occasion to reflect on our efforts to build up climate resilience. Climate change threatens the ocean, our world’s biodiversity and human wellbeing. However, the ocean itself is an immensely powerful resource that can help us protect our world and ensure a safe future. Together, we’re working alongside community-led organizations to advance equity and justice. We’re committed to using community-centered solutions that we share with these groups. And we’re working to ensure our partners get access to directly shape ocean policy. 

Ocean Conservancy’s Ocean Justice team, in this first year of inception, is proud to lead efforts that support climate resilience and is enthusiastic to grow further in this work. A manifestation of our efforts is the recent launch of the Ocean Justice Community Grants program. We acknowledge that there are gaps in funding for local community-led organizations that we can help fill. We’re working to ensure these organizations get the resources they need as these partnerships are invaluable in our shared efforts.

These grants support frontline coastal communities. Our goal is to prioritize the ongoing work in these communities around fishing sustainably, advancing ocean innovation and developing new ocean leaders, all of which will support efforts towards climate adaptation. 

As we continue to embed justice and equity in all our conservation work, one important focus is on our Climate Policy team which tracks the climate resilience work and federal funds in Justice40. This federal initiative aims to address inequities in how federal funding and benefits of federal programs reach marginalized or disadvantaged communities. The goal of Justice40 is to see at least 40% of the overall benefits from federal investments in climate and clean energy realized in disadvantaged communities. We’re focusing on Florida, a state with huge economic and community ties to the ocean and where coastal communities will face threats to drinking water, stormwater and wastewater systems from climate impacts like sea level rise and storms. In its initial phase we will work with local officials and community members to understand how federal funds can benefit the communities facing these threats and those who need them most. Ocean Conservancy’s work in Florida is helping bring new voices to marine conservation and support ongoing work that will equally benefit communities and the marine environment.

We all want a thriving ocean that centers and protects both people and nature as we work to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Achieving that goal depends on building trust with our community partners, including by learning more about the communities we’re all serving, remaining transparent with information we’re gathering and valuing community expertise as much as any other expertise. Our Ocean Justice team and our entire staff at Ocean Conservancy understand the importance of building community, and that’s why our work with OJAG is so meaningful. We are working towards breaking down silos within the conservation space to better address the issues at hand, harnessing collective action as we work toward a healthier ocean protected by a more just world. Just as Queen Quet advises, we’re working to make collaboration in advancing equity and justice part of our DNA.

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Protecting the Ocean Means Protecting Communities

When we think about plastic pollution, we often think about where plastic products—from water bottles to microplastics—end up. But plastics present a much broader threat to our ocean, climate and marginalized coastal communities.

Why? It’s a problem of how plastics are made—nearly all plastics are made from oil, and they take a lot of energy to produce. And while we’ve begun to transition away from oil and gas for our cars and electricity, the oil and gas industry has responded by investing its vast financial resources in a new source of demand for their products: new production for plastic materials and packaging. 

More plastic means more pollution—for the climate, coastal communities and our ocean. By 2030, plastic production will contribute 1.3 billion tons of greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere—the equivalent of 300 coal-fired power plants—and these facilities are sited in predominantly low-income communities and communities of color. Producing plastics is a dirty business. The petrochemicals infrastructure used to produce plastics is often coastal energy infrastructure—oil and gas production, refining and export facilities. This production process emits significant air and water pollution with severe health consequences for neighboring communities already bearing the brunt of climate change impacts like sea level rise, severe storms and flooding. 

The concentration of polluting industries in low-income and minority communities is no accident—it is the result of decades of discriminatory housing and zoning policies (i.e. redlining.) Just last year, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights called out the expansion of plastic-producing petrochemicals plants in Southern Louisiana as environmental racism—a threat to the basic human rights of the predominantly Black residents of the region.

Fenceline leader Shamyra Lavigne describes the impact of plastic facilities in her community. Learn more about Rise St. James here.

This injustice must be addressed. On December 1, Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA-02), Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Representative Alan Lowenthal (D-CA-47) introduced new legislation, the Protecting Communities from Plastic Act (S. 5163/H.R. 9388), to tackle the plastic pollution crisis head-on, crack down on the plastic production process and address the harmful environmental justice impacts of this growing fossil fuel sector. This bill builds on the Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act of 2021 to:

• Help reduce our reliance on virgin plastic by requiring the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create new nationwide targets for single-use plastic reduction in the packaging and food service, while incentivizing the expansion of new refill and reuse systems. Reducing new plastic production is critical to solving the interlinked plastics, climate and community impacts. 
• Protect fenceline [1] communities around plastic production and disposal facilities by expanding the definition of covered facilities to be monitored by the EPA and requiring that the agency consider the cumulative impacts of plastic production and disposal, temporarily pausing the permitting of new and expanded facilities.
• Strengthen environmental regulations like the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act and Toxic Substances Control Act protections to reduce pollution and climate impacts in fenceline communities.
• Block new petrochemical and plastic production facilities from being built within a five-mile radius of schools, residences and other community buildings.
• Direct the EPA to not include harmful chemical recycling technologies in the national recycling strategy.
• Create new financial requirements for companies so that communities are not left with the bill to clean up environmental contamination when facilities close.

Fenceline communities are the closest to the problem and the closest to the solution; they led this resistance movement to protect their communities. This current legislation provides an opportunity for government leaders, and all of us, to have their backs in advancing their fights. Ocean Conservancy is proud to support this legislation because it centers fenceline communities’ solutions and marries that with what the science tells us we need to do to protect our ocean and climate. It’s long past time to reach across sectors and systems to address the generational harm faced by Black, Indigenous and people of color and other disadvantaged fenceline communities to ultimately find multidimensional solutions to advance justice and equity across the board. Plastic pollution is a social justice issue, a climate issue and an ocean issue. They can’t be separated. The more we center communities in our policies and our conversations, the better outcomes we will achieve.  

Grassroot movements have long presented the model of societal change in the United States. Ocean Conservancy recognizes that supporting this movement in targeting single-use plastics will have a chain effect on many other social injustices that tie together the health of the ocean and the marine ecosystems within. We are dedicated to our journey in advancing ocean justice, which we define as the fair and equitable distribution of both the benefits of the ocean’s bounty and the burdens of its complex care. Want to learn more about Ocean Justice? Check out how we are fulfilling our commitment at OceanConservancy.org.

[1] Fenceline communities live immediately adjacent to highly polluting facilities—fossil fuel infrastructure, industrial parks or large manufacturing facilities—and are directly affected by the traffic, noise, operations and most-concerningly, chemical and fossil fuel emissions of the operation.

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Everything You Need to Know About Gray Whales

Gray whales might not be as well known as their humpback or sperm whale cousins, but I think you’re going to fall in love with them all the same. For instance, did you know gray whales blow hearts!? They have two blow holes, and when they exhale you can see a heart spout out of the water. 

Gray whales also have the reputation of being the friendliest whales in the world. They are curious about boats and will often approach them and check out the humans aboard. Near Mexico, a gray whale actually played with a boat of tourists by lifting the vessel onto its back and briefly swimming away with it. Gray whales want to learn about us, so let’s take some time to learn about them in return. 

Why are they called gray whales?

Gray whales get their name from their color which is, you guessed it, gray with white splotches all over their bodies. They’ve earned a few nicknames, like “devil fish,” due to their aggressive behavior when trying to escape whalers in the past. They’ve also been called “mud diggers” or “mussel diggers” due to the way they eat. Gray whales will dive down to the ocean floor, turn to their sides, and scoop up sediment with their mouths. As they swim up, they leave long trails of mud in their wake while filtering out their food, mainly small invertebrates. 

Their Latin name is Eschrichtius robustus. The genus Eschrichtius is named for Daniel Frederik Eschricht, a nineteenth century scientist who was the authority on whales at the time. Some of his work even got a shout out in Jules Verne’s underwater epic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Their species name robustus comes from the Latin meaning strong. It is a fitting description for these powerful swimmers. 

How big is a gray whale?

Fully grown gray whales range from 43-49 feet, about the size of a semi-trailer. They are among the top ten largest whale species and about half the size of a blue whale, the largest animal on the planet. But gray whales are by no means small; they weigh approximately 60,000-80,000 pounds on average, more than the combined weight of six elephants. 

How do gray whales get their spots? 

While they might not be a fashion statement, the white spots barnacles leave behind on these animals help scientists identify individual gray whales. These white blotches are often scars from barnacles and parasites. The most common hitchhiker on gray whales is Cryptolepas rhachianecti, a species of barnacle that attaches only to whales. When feeding at the bottom of the ocean, a gray whale will try to scrape off these freeloaders, but it doesn’t always work. A single gray whale can have up to a thousand pounds of barnacles on it at any given time.

These barnacles don’t reside alone; they also provide homes to whale lice. As gross as whale lice sound, they actually do perform a beneficial service to the whale. They eat skin for lunch, literally, and often will feed around wounds and scars which helps reduce the risk of infection. 

Where do you find gray whales?  

Gray whales prefer shallow coastal waters where they can find their favorite foods in the muddy bottom. They can be found in the North Pacific spanning from the west coast of North America to the eastern coast of Asia. There were gray whales in the North Atlantic, but they were likely driven to extinction on the American coast by whalers in the eighteenth century. They disappeared from the European coast during the Middle Ages. 

Gray whales hold the record for the longest migrations in the world, travelling up to 14,000 miles round trip. That is the equivalent to going coast-to-coast in the United States more than four times! When migrating, a gray whale swims about 75 miles a day which is a lot considering their average pace is just five miles per hour. One gray whale travelled even further from its home: it was found in Namibia more than 16,700 miles away from its home in the North Pacific, making it the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. 

How many years do grey whales live?

The exact age of gray whales is difficult to detect, but scientists found one female whale who lived until she was somewhere between 75 and 80 years old. That means there could be gray whales alive today that would be old enough to remember World War II or when perms were cool. Just imagine how gray whales have seen their ocean home change during that time. 

How can I help gray whales?

There are reports every year about gray whales being entangled in fishing gear. They are among the many animals that fall victim to this plight, including a 47-foot-long adult male sperm whale that was found with a knotted mass of plastic debris after it beached itself in the Florida Keys earlier this year. Grey whales need protection from plastic pollution and other threats, including ocean noise and habitat destruction from oil and gas development. Luckily, the friendliest whales have a friend in you. You can take action with Ocean Conservancy to demand change for our ocean and the marine life that depends on it.

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Cleaning Up Trash in Vietnam

Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Cleanup® (ICC) engages volunteers to clean up waterways around the world. Since its beginning in 1986, more than 17 million volunteers have collected more than 348 million pounds of trash. One of my favorite things about the ICC is that everyone can make a global impact by starting to pick up trash in their local communities. Here in Vietnam, I recently got to join a cleanup in my home country. 

The cleanup location, Can Gio, is a suburban coastal district located 31 miles (50km) from Ho Chi Minh City’s downtown and is an important spot for many reasons. It is home to the Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve which was recognized as a global biosphere reserve by UNESCO in 2000. The rich mangrove forest here is considered to be the city’s lungs and is in need of protection from issues like deforestation, coastal erosion and plastic pollution. 

Can Gio beach is known for its unique dark brown sand and water, resulting as the intersection of the three major rivers in Southeast Vietnam, including the Saigon, Vam Co and Dong Nai. Because of its  proximity to Ho Chi Minh City, the beach is an important part of the city’s action plan to reduce ocean plastic waste, and the local government supported our cleanup efforts. 

I was joined by 220 volunteers of all ages and professions. There were retired women, primary school students, CEOs and families, all gathered early in the morning ready for the Can Gio cleanup. Everyone was excited to be a part of this meaningful work in service of the environment and their home city. 

The volunteers’ energy and passion for the environment could be seen on each of their faces and in their hard work picking up trash. “We need to protect our planet, and we can provide value in helping our environment become greener and cleaner, and especially for the ocean,” said Nguyen Quang Hy, one volunteer who joined us for the clean up. “As it is right now, there is a lot of garbage on this beach. Let’s act together because our small actions will benefit the whole world as well as the beauty of the ocean.”

After an hour of cleaning, we collected 3,900 lbs (1,773kg ) of trash! To add to the excitement, two prizes were offered: one for the team that collected the most trash and another for the team that picked up the strangest items. Interestingly, the team that picked up the most trash was the team with the youngest members, picking up a total of 402 lbs (183kg). 

Choosing which team would receive the award for he strangest items was quite challenging but also fun since there were many types of bizarre trash found including blankets, pillows, mosquito nets, mats and teddy bears. Many teams eloquently made their case to prove that their items were the strangest. Finally, the award was given to the team that found a bicycle saddle.

This cleanup is not a one-off event but part of Ocean Conservancy’s ongoing efforts to support Vietnam’s National Action Plan for Plastic Waste Management through 2030). As part of this initiative, we’re working with international and local partners to raise awareness of plastic pollution with projects like a zero-waste program in schools in Phu Yen, the “Clean River, Blue Sea” contest awarding ideas for tackling trash in Nam Dinh, and a “green school” program in Hanoi that teaches students to become environmental ambassadors. Cleanups like this one are also great tools for spreading awareness. The 220 volunteers who attended not only saw the impact of plastic pollution first hand, they become advocates, reaching   thousands of people in their networks, from family to friends and coworkers. This event was just one of many important pieces of the puzzle in supporting Vietnam’s  fight against marine plastic pollution. Together, we can reach our goal of trash free seas.

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Ocean Solutions for Clean Energy

We didn’t leave the Stone Age because we ran out of stones.

To avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis, it’s crucial that we shift energy production away from the unsustainable fossil fuels that cause climate change and towards those that release little to no greenhouse gases (GHG), such as solar and wind power. To meet our climate goals, a massive acceleration in the global deployment of clean- energy technologies is needed now. Generating renewable energy from offshore wind and decarbonizing the shipping industry can provide large ocean-based climate-mitigation opportunities in the United States and globally, and these are essential elements of a clean energy future. 

These two key ocean-climate solutions were featured at the Global Clean Energy Action Forum (GCEAF) which brought together clean-energy leaders from around the world to accelerate the clean-energy transition. These leaders represented governments, international organizations, the private sector, academia and civil society. More than 6,000 people participated in the Forum and roughly 150 different events intended to drive concrete action to implement clean energy commitments that build on historic advancements in innovative technologies and investments. 

Clean energy is key to national security.

The key takeaway from the Forum was the critical need to speed up the deployment of existing clean-energy tools and technologies that will reverse the current emissions trends and keep the planet on a path towards warming of no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Underscoring this theme was the need for the clean energy transition as a national security imperative. The Ukrainian Minister of Energy, German Galushchenko, delivered this message most clearly and discussed how the war in Ukraine has created massive volatility in global energy markets which could lead to an international energy war. He spoke about how a clean-energy transition is key to achieving energy independence and security for his nation and beyond. This was echoed by the Small Island Developing States in attendance, including the Maldives, Seychelles and Tuvalu, regarding their countries’ continued reliance on expensive diesel for meeting energy needs. The clean-energy transition is an essential solution, not only for the climate crisis but also for achieving national independence, security and prosperity.  

Green hydrogen has an important role to play in the clean-energy transition.

In addition to the focus on renewable energy sources, many experts highlighted the role of green hydrogen in meeting the demands of a clean-energy future. Hydrogen took center stage due to the role it could play in sectors, like shipping, in which getting to zero-carbon is complicated. This is a problem that will require major investments in research, development and deployment of low- and zero-emission fuels, vessels that can run on those fuels, and ports that can service those vessels while eliminating their own emissions. One solution is to deploy Green Shipping Corridors, essentially zero-emission routes between two or more ports, which can incentivize early and rapid adoption of green fuels and technologies. Developing Green Shipping Corridors, including the key elements of green ports and zero-emissions alternative fuels, were highlighted as crucial next steps for collaboration between the maritime and green hydrogen industry, which could speed up the deployment of and demand for green hydrogen while globally reducing emissions from the shipping sector.

Green Shipping Corridors emerge as the or a key implementation tool for decarbonizing global shipping.

In addition, there were updates of ongoing efforts to guide and support Green Shipping Corridors throughcommitments made by ports to help reduce their GHG emissions and air pollution. Green ports are essential to the development of successful green corridors and enable the transformation of the entire shipping value chain. Some examples we heard include, but are not limited to, the Port of Seattle stepping up to partner with cruise ships, communities, nonprofits and industry on developing green corridors, and the Port of San Diego creating a maritime clean air strategy.

United States’ climate and clean-energy investments are poised to make a global impact.

This year two massive pieces of legislation were signed into law with critical investments in transportation, infrastructure and climate: the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act (IIJA) and the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Notably the recent IRA bill is recognized as “once in a generation” funding to jump-start a clean-energy transition, which will decrease America’s GHG emissions by an estimated 40% by 2030. From offshore wind to clean hydrogen to clean shipping, the IIJA and IRA bills were pointed to as essential pieces of legislation that will help the United States decarbonize and meet our climate goals. 

Key Announcements

The list highlights several of the new ocean-relevant announcements that came from the Global Clean Energy Action Forum and the other high-level climate events this fall: 

• United States unveils draft national clean-hydrogen strategy and roadmap: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released a draft National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, setting the goal for the United States to produce 50 million tonnes of clean hydrogen per year by 2050, up from “nearly zero” today. 
• 10 More Leading Shippers Join Initiative for Maritime Decarbonization: The Aspen Institute announced that 10 more leading companies joined the Cargo Owners for Zero Emission Vessels (coZEV) initiative, more than doubling the number of shippers that have committed to accelerating the transition to zero-carbon maritime shipping. 
• Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) announced: During an event at Climate Week NYC, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) and the government of Denmark announced that they are forming a new Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) with the goal of helping the world install 380 GW of offshore wind by 2030. 
• DOE opens $7B hydrogen hub funding opportunity & issues draft production standard: The U.S. DOE is now accepting applications for $7 billion in funding to develop at least a six regional clean-hydrogen hubs across the country. 
• Green Corridors: Feasibility phase blueprint: The Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, in a joint effort with McKinsey & Company, has developed a new blueprint for designing, assessing and demonstrating the feasibility of green corridors that serves as a ready-to-use guide for any stakeholder involved in green corridors for decarbonizing shipping. 
• Ports for People: Pacific Environment announced its “Ports for People” initiative “to transform ports from hotspots of fossil fuel pollution to thriving hubs of sustainable economic development and environmental protection.”
• Pacific Environment & Opportunity Green release ports playbook for zero-emission ocean shipping: In connection with Climate Week NYC 2022, Pacific Environment and Opportunity Green released a playbook for ports to accelerate action in the race to a zero-emission ocean shipping future. 

Momentum Toward COP27

Right now international leaders are travelling to COP27, the largest international convening to solve the climate crisis. The announcements from GCEAF can help make progress towards meeting our global decarbonization goals, however, previous climate commitments have still not been met and global emissions continue to rise. To meet our climate goals, nations must work to meet their existing commitments and will need to set more ambitious targets as the window for staying within our 1.5-degree Celsius target gets smaller and smaller. Therefore, implementation and deployment will continue to be a critical focus at COP27 next week. 

Climate change poses the single biggest threat to our ocean and to the future of the planet. Greenhouse gas emissions must reach net zero by 2050 to keep global warming under 1.5°C—the threshold set by scientists to avoid the most severe impacts from climate change. This will require the transformation of nearly every sector of the global economy, including the often-overlooked ocean-based sectors. Learn more about how the ocean can help us tackle climate change here.  

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On Incorporating Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Ocean Conservation

After many weeks of rain here in the Pacific Northwest, we are officially deep into fall. I always find that a change in seasons is a natural time of reflection—particularly now as we approach the end of another year. 

November is significant because it’s when we celebrate Native American Heritage Month. This November, once again, I find myself reflecting on many things, including history, culture and our relationship to the natural world.

I lived in Alaska early in my career and still feel a deep connection to that special place. It was in Alaska that I began thinking more deeply about my connection to the land and the ocean and my responsibilities in stewarding the places that nurture and support us. I was deeply fortunate to learn alongside Alaska Native mentors who modeled an example of living in close relationship with the natural world. 

I invite you to read a recent piece by my colleague Jonathon Ross, Ocean Conservancy’s new director of Arctic Indigenous-led conservation. In this post, Jonathon speaks to the importance of trust, respect and stronger partnerships between conservation organizations and Alaska Native entities. Doing this requires many in the ocean conservation space—including many of us here at Ocean Conservancy—to understand and support diverse ways of thinking about conservation.

There has been a growing—and necessary—conversation in the western science and conservation fields about incorporating traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) in our work. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service defines TEK as the “knowledge acquired by indigenous [sic] and local peoples over hundreds or thousands of years through direct contact with the environment.” This vast network of information includes relationships among plants, animals, processes, climate and humans and is passed from generation to generation. Although definitions of TEK can vary based on the source, at its core TEK is about collaboration, stewardship and understanding of our natural world.  

Although TEK is, quite obviously, not new, western science and resource management have historically been slow to incorporate Indigenous and local knowledge in research and policies. Even as use of TEK has grown in western science over the last few decades, the process has been far from seamless, with examples of western science incorrectly applying or oversimplifying TEK. But there are also many instances of effective incorporation of the two. When trying to determine if the Alexander Archipelago wolf should be listed under the Endangered Species Act, for example, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service scientists interviewed nine Alaskan knowledge-bearers about the cultural significance of the wolf. Now, Indigenous knowledge is included in the final report, addressing both the biological and cultural significance of the animals. Read about another recent example of using Hawaiian TEK to design a National Estuarine Research Reserve.

With both Indigenous-led conservation and the application of TEK in western science, the goal is to use knowledge to conserve the natural places and communities we love and depend on. TEK addresses a critical link—we are not just observing natural processes where nature is reduced to data and separated from people but seeing people as part of a natural community. 

As Jonathon puts it, TEK is about embracing “ways of thinking about the world in which people and nature are intrinsically linked and in relationship.” This approach to reciprocity will help us pursue wise solutions—solutions that benefit both the ocean and people. 

If you’re looking for additional ways to reflect during Native American Heritage Month, I recommend this deep dive about how you can practice “two-eyed seeing” (a term first shared by Mi’kmaw elder Dr. Albert Marshall). “Two-eyed seeing” provides a way to understand nature and come up with durable conservation solutions by looking through the lens of both Indigenous and western knowledge. 

Thank you for joining me in taking time to reflect on this important topic and joining me in celebrating Native American Heritage Month. 

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