Shaping an Ocean Climate Action Plan for the US
A humble writer corresponds with the government
Originally published on Substack
This administration's White House has done some pretty cool stuff on climate, including a bold long term climate strategy and the biggest climate investment in history.
Last month, the Office of Science and Technology Policy invited input to shape the U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP) to guide actions of the Federal government on all things Great Lake and salty water. This humble writer led a response on behalf of OpenAir, a global collective dedicated to promoting carbon dioxide removal where I am an advocate and occasional video series co-host.
The response called for recommended critical actions, knowledge & science gaps, environmental justice opportunities, and partnerships & collaborations.
Below I highlight what we recommended as near term actions.
Thank you to the OpenAir collective members that contributed to the development of this report, including Toby Bryce, Peter Chargin and Drew Felker.
Near Term (1-3 Years) Recommendations
Raise ambitions
The Inflation Reduction Act represents major progress but falls short. With bipartisan support and public backing for climate action and carbon removal initiatives, there's opportunity to expand ocean climate goals.
Expand metrics of success
- Carbon Removal: Define ocean-based CDR targets including alkalinity enhancement, weathering, electrochemical capture, and algae-based methods
- Blue Natural Capital: Shift from viewing oceans as "endowments waiting to be harvested" to measuring ocean health, resilience, and recovery
- Water Health: Set ambitious targets against excess nutrient runoff
- Marine Life & Biodiversity: Establish baselines and track endangered species populations
- Blue Workforce: Build equitable access to green ocean careers
Technical Groundwork
- Establish policy frameworks for ocean climate action
- Fund R&D for offshore wind, wave, tidal energy
- Create streamlined permitting pathways for oCDR pilots
- Develop international consensus on carbon removal monitoring
- Co-locate carbon removal with existing infrastructure (offshore wind, decommissioned oil/gas facilities)
- Invest in wastewater infrastructure upgrades
- Fund ecosystem restoration technology with AI-enabled monitoring