Washington, D.C. – Today, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released Working Group II’s contribution to the Sixth Assessment Report. Anna-Marie Laura, Ocean Conservancy’s Director of Climate Policy, released the following statement in reaction to the report’s release:

“Once again, the IPCC lays bare the devastating effects of climate change on the ocean, coastal ecosystems and the billions of people who rely on them. Sea level rise, warming ocean temperatures, increasing acidity and loss of dissolved oxygen cumulatively spell disaster if we fail to act. We need to take transformative action to invest in climate resilience and reduce greenhouse gas emissions if we want to prepare coastal regions for future climate change impacts as well as those they’re hurting from today.

“We shouldn’t have to wait for each new devastating report to get the attention of those in power. We shouldn’t have to keep saying how the choice between adapting to and mitigating climate change or risking irreversible harm to people and the environment has never been clearer.

“And everywhere, at all levels from cities to nation states, we must start investing in and properly valuing climate resilient communities, ecosystems and infrastructure. In the U.S. that means passing the climate related elements of the Build Back Better package that catalyze a transition to renewable energy and alternative fuels for hard to abate sectors, ending fossil fuel subsidies and related investments from U.S. financial institutions, and significantly increasing investment in climate resilient communities, ecosystems and infrastructure. Internationally this means supporting ambitious goals and investments necessary for a zero-carbon future, including in commitments to align with the Paris Agreement and setting targets to decarbonize the shipping industry at the International Maritime Organization.

“We already have many of the solutions needed to protect ocean and coastal communities, what we need most is the political will to finally mobilize financing to build resilient economies and communities and dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions from every sector.”

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Anna-Marie Laura is available for interviews upon request.

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