STATEMENT: CAP’s John Podesta Praises Legislation That Would Put Oceans on the Climate Agenda
Washington, D.C. — Today, the House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) and other House members will introduce the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act. This comprehensive and ambitious legislation seeks to leverage the ocean’s potential in the fight against climate change by implementing a full suite of ocean-based climate solutions, including offshore renewable energy, blue carbon, and the creation of marine protected areas. In response, Center for American Progress founder John Podesta issued the following statement:
Climate change is threatening the ocean’s ability to sustain us. From dying coral reefs to disappearing fish, coastal communities across the country are struggling to survive in the face of a hotter, more acidic, and stormier ocean. Yet for far too long, the ocean has been left out of conversations about climate solutions.
Today, that has changed. From protecting front-line communities that are most at risk to restoring American global ocean leadership to supporting the clean energy economy, this groundbreaking bill has put the ocean on the climate agenda. I applaud the leadership of Chairman Grijalva and his colleagues for their bold and urgently needed vision.
Related resources:
- “How Much Nature Should America Keep?” by Matt Lee-Ashley, the CAP Public Lands Team, and the CAP Oceans Team
- “How Marine Protected Areas Help Fisheries and Ocean Ecosystems” by Margaret Cooney, Miriam Goldstein, and Emma Shapiro
- “How To Reform and Strengthen Fishery Habitat Protection” by Alexandra Carter, Margaret Cooney, Sung Chung, Carlos Rivero Lopez, and Miriam Goldstein
- “Elevating Ocean-Based Climate Solutions: An Opportunity for U.S. Nonfederal Diplomacy” by Gwynne Taraska and Margaret Cooney
For more information on this topic or to speak with an expert, please contact Sam Hananel at shananel@americanprogress.org.