On June 8^th , 2021, the United States House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee reintroduced the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act. Janis Searles Jones, CEO at Ocean Conservancy, released the following statement in reaction to the bill’s introduction:

“Today, World Ocean Day, we must show even greater resolve to take the necessary steps to protect our ocean, communities and cultures.  The Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act sets an expansive vision for the ocean’s crucial role in lessening the devastating effects of climate change. By committing to ocean-based climate action, like offshore renewable energy and decarbonizing shipping, we can help prepare our coasts and those who live along them for the changes and threats they face today and in the future, while helping our country transition away from polluting and harmful fossil fuels. So many people along our coasts, and in particular people and communities of color, are suffering not only from climate change but also from the harms and discrimination of environmental racism. Ocean-based climate actions such as those included in this bill can and must help continue to put us on the path to restoring justice for those communities. We thank the House Natural Resources Committee and Chairman Grijalva for their leadership on ocean climate solutions. It cannot come soon enough and I hope that the rest of Congress will follow their lead.”

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Ocean Conservancy experts are 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 oceanconservancy.org, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.