Oceana Calls President Biden's Initial Actions on Climate "Hope for Our Oceans"

President Joe Biden intends to issue an executive order today to address the growing climate crisis, including a commitment to rejoin the Paris Agreement. In response, Oceana released the following statement from Jacqueline Savitz, chief policy officer:

"President Biden's swift action on climate offers hope for our oceans. We welcome this stark change after four years of deregulation and attacks that have left our bedrock environmental laws, and consequently our oceans, bruised and battered.

For too long, our oceans have borne the brunt of the climate crisis, absorbing about a third of the carbon dioxide we emit. This great service the oceans provide is also making them sick. It's driving ocean acidification, melting sea ice and causing sea level rise. And climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of storms, droughts and wildfires that are taking a toll on human lives. It is causing famine and species migrations that will lead to ecological havoc.

But luckily, we know the solutions and our oceans can play a pivotal role. We must stop the expansion of dirty and dangerous offshore drilling and shift to clean, renewable energy sources like offshore wind. We need to make this shift in our energy paradigm as quickly as possible.

By permanently protecting U.S. waters from new offshore oil and gas drilling, President Biden would not only slow the climate crisis, but also protect coastal communities from the devastating impacts of our fossil fuel addiction.

As President Biden says, we can ?build back better,' and the oceans are no exception ? their abundance and biodiversity are essential to a healthier world. If we manage our fisheries sustainably, they can provide 1 billion people a healthy seafood meal every day. Those are meals that don't require land or fresh water: meals that contribute far less carbon dioxide than other protein sources, and meals that can help us fight off heart disease, diabetes and other health problems.

We applaud President Biden for prioritizing science-based policies and taking the first steps to undo more than 100 rollbacks of environmental protections. Oceana looks forward to working with the Biden-Harris administration to establish a proactive, sensible, science-based approach to restoring and managing our incredibly rich marine resources and our deeply generous oceans."

Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-third of the world's wild fish catch. With more than 225 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles and sharks, Oceana's campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal, every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit USA.Oceana.org to learn more.