On World Ocean Day, Grijalva Celebrates President Biden’s Bold Leadership on Ocean Climate Action
WASHINGTON – Today, on World Ocean Day, Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (D-Ariz.) issued the following statement commending President Joe Biden’s recent announcement of three new national strategies to safeguard and bolster our oceans, coastal communities, and fisheries in our fight against the climate crisis. These strategies build upon the Biden administration’s historic Ocean Climate Action Plan and Ocean Justice Strategy, both of which are the first of their kind at the federal level.
“A healthy ocean is essential to a safer, healthier future for everyone, especially the millions of Americans who live on our coasts,” Ranking Member Grijalva said. “I’m proud of the work Democrats have done alongside coastal community members, ocean experts, and scientists to outline a roadmap for building ocean and coastal community resilience. And I am grateful to President Biden and his administration for putting that vision into committed action, while keeping environmental justice and climate front and center.”
Background
On June 3, at the start of National Ocean Month, President Biden announced three new strategies, highlighted below. These new strategies, along with the Ocean Climate Action Plan and the Ocean Justice Strategy, build upon the work of Natural Resources Committee Democrats, including Ranking Member Grijalva’s Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act, which was based on more than 1,600 public comments and is enthusiastically supported by environmental organizations and ocean experts.
A new report, which is supported by more than 60 organizations and businesses, highlights the Biden administration’s progress on climate action and outlines key recommendations for additional action.
The Biden administration’s newly announced strategies include the following:
- National Ocean Biodiversity Strategy. Rising temperatures, ocean acidification, hypoxic zones, overfishing, and pollution are threatening coastal ecosystems and marine biodiversity. This strategy will help coordinate efforts across the federal government to protect, restore, and sustainably use ocean biodiversity.
- National Strategy for A Sustainable Ocean Economy. A sustainable ocean economy supports marine ecosystems as well as the communities that rely on them. This strategy will help advance sustainable and economically-sound ocean-based development.
- National Aquatic eDNA Strategy. Environmental DNA (eDNA) is a rapid, low-cost, and non-invasive tool to monitor ocean biodiversity. This strategy will help coordinate the adoption of eDNA across sectors, guide capacity building and infrastructure development, and advance its use as a tool for protecting biodiversity.
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