WASHINGTON – On the first day of his second term in office, President Trump announced a suite of executive actions that will negatively impact the health of the ocean. Anna-Marie Laura, Ocean Conservancy senior director of climate policy issued the following statement in response: 

“Today’s executive actions undo significant progress to protect the ocean. We are already seeing the impacts of a warming planet on our ocean and coastal communities, from stronger hurricanes tearing homes apart to massive coral bleaching events that decimate wildlife and wildfire seasons that never end. What happens to the ocean happens to all of us: it produces half the world’s oxygen and absorbs more than 90% of the excess heat man-made emissions have created. Climate change is the greatest threat facing the ocean; and the only way we can prevent the worst impacts is by transitioning to clean energy, ending our reliance on fossil fuels, and protecting more, not less, of the precious shared resource that is the ocean. 

“To do this most effectively, we need a coordinated global effort. Walking away from the Paris Agreement means that the U.S., the biggest historical emitter of greenhouse gases, will once again impede global efforts to slash emissions at a time when the ocean most needs us to advance ambitious climate action. Promoting offshore oil and gas while halting progress on developing our offshore wind resources in the name of protecting marine life and fiscal responsibility is irresponsible and disingenuous. Offshore wind has the potential to provide enough energy to power the entire U.S. five times over, as well as create thousands of jobs in coastal communities. As we’ve seen time and time again, oil and water don’t mix: more offshore drilling in the U.S. is bad news for anyone who cares about having an ocean free from devastating oil spills.

“As we have done for the last 52 years and ten presidents, Ocean Conservancy will continue to work with partners domestically and abroad to meet our climate goals and protect the ocean we all depend on.”

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ABOUT OCEAN CONSERVANCY  

Ocean Conservancy is working to protect the ocean from today’s greatest global challenges. Together with our partners, we create evidence-based solutions for a healthy ocean and the wildlife and communities that depend on it. For more information, visit oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) or Instagram.