Moving forward to protect the living ocean

“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” ~ Nelson Mandela

We live in challenging times — and it’s within our capacity to overcome those challenges. Right now, we’re dealing with pandemic uncertainty, anxiety about Russia’s war with Ukraine, and the growing awareness that we’re already living with — and adapting to — the consequential impacts of global climate change. Factor in the imperative to redress injustices from policies that for so long have marginalized people of color and the poor, and there’s a lot on our plates!

I’ve seen us demonstrate our capacity to overcome the obstacles in our path, however daunting they seem, and to make the impossible a reality.?

At Monterey Bay Aquarium, we’ve never backed away from big challenges. Consistently, we've taken risks to bring ocean life to the public in new and inspiring ways. Our team created the first living kelp forest in an aquarium, pioneered mesmerizing jellies, open ocean, and deep sea exhibitions, and succeeded in exhibiting ocean sunfish and young white sharks.

All of this was possible as the product of a mindset I think is reflected across California, across the nation, and among visionaries around the world. At the Aquarium, in the face of huge challenges, we’ve kept moving forward, with an eye on the future, to advance our mission: to inspire conservation of the ocean.

In California, that spirit is a hallmark of the state’s leadership in safeguarding our coast and ocean, and as a national leader in environmental stewardship. Today, our state is moving forward with new initiatives that are leading the way. What we do in California sets the bar for the rest of the nation. And others are taking up the mantle.

Sometimes leadership begins with a grassroots movement. That was the case with the California Coastal Zone Conservation Act, a voter-led initiative passed into law 50 years ago this November. Sometimes it’s the product of hard work by legislative champions, as with the federal Marine Sanctuaries Act that also marks its 50th anniversary this year — or creation of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, designated 30 years ago this September, where then Rep. Leon Panetta was the driving force. California’s network of marine protected areas took shape ten years ago, after Assemblymember Fred Keeley laid the groundwork with passage of the Marine Life Protection Act.

I see a silver lining and a cause for hope right now, because people are more motivated than ever to work for change. I’m so encouraged by the work of new leaders, in California and around the United States. And I’m fired up by the passion and talent of the young people coming through programs like those we offer at the Aquarium – emerging leaders who are stepping up, and making a difference.

I know California best, and I see so many examples that demonstrate we don’t just have aspirations for a better future. We are doing the work to make it a reality. Together we achieved so much for the ocean in the past year. And there are so many possibilities to accomplish even more in 2022.

California has taken significant steps to curb the tide of plastic pollution flowing into the ocean. Worldwide, the equivalent of a garbage truck full of plastic ends up in the ocean — every minute of every day. It's polluting habitats from the surface to the seafloor, from polar ice to subtropical ocean gyres. Plastic harms wildlife, it’s hard to clean up, and it has a disproportionate impact on communities near plastic manufacturing and disposal sites.?

Plastic production has skyrocketed over the last 20 years, and we can’t recycle our way out of this mess. California stepped up by enacting five bills last year to tackle plastic pollution and support consumer choice. Of course, there’s more we need to do — as spelled out in a new report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine about the U.S. contribution to the global plastic pollution problem. The panel that produced the report, and recommendations for action, was chaired by Margaret Spring, our chief conservation and science officer at Monterey Bay Aquarium.

In November 2022, we can take the next step, by voting to pass the California Plastic Waste Reduction initiative. The Aquarium, along with other partners, is working hard on this campaign.?

California continues to lead the nation in addressing the climate crisis — but, again, we must do more. In March, we got a boost from the Biden Administration when the EPA restored California's ability to impose tough regulations restricting tailpipe emissions — standards that will drive change across the country.?

The California Natural Resources Agency has taken another critical step forward by preparing a draft Natural and Working Lands Climate Smart Strategy — using nature to help sequester carbon from the fossil fuels we’re burning. This policy incorporates restoration of coastal wetlands as a “blue carbon” solution for locking away carbon in the sediment. The policy will help California meet its ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gas emissions so we can avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.?

Embracing nature-based solutions, on land and in the ocean, is critical if we hope to avoid even more severe impacts on our people and communities from warming ocean waters, sea level rise, wildfires, and drought.

California is also stepping up to address another emerging threat to ocean health: the prospect of unchecked mining of the seafloor. In the current legislative session, the Aquarium has joined with Surfrider Foundation to support passage of Assembly Bill 1832, authored by Assemblymember Luz Rivas, to ban destructive mining of mineral deposits on the seafloor.?

There’s growing pressure around the world to mine the ocean floor, including for minerals used to manufacture components for electric cars, wind turbines, and other clean-energy technologies. But the mining comes with an environmental cost: destruction of sensitive habitats whose ecosystems have not been studied, and potential impacts on animals in the water column from plumes of sediment mining vessels would pump overboard.

We need to meet the growing demand for technology in our society, but we need to do so in less damaging ways. California is a leader in developing innovative solutions to big challenges. I know we can find less destructive ways to support these technologies.

Finally, I want to applaud California and so many other jurisdictions for embracing environmental justice as they advance climate solutions and protect our ocean resources. In California, this is taking shape through partnerships with Native American tribes to achieve the state’s ambitious climate and conservation goals.?

Gov. Gavin Newsom has offered a $100 million budget proposal to help tribes acquire and protect land will contribute to nature-based climate solutions, draw on traditional knowledge to inform stewardship of the land, and protect communities that are among the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.

I’m equally encouraged by the federal proposal to designate the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary off the Central California coast. It’s the first tribally nominated marine sanctuary, and would protect marine and cultural resources along 156 miles of coastline — while also leaving open the possibility of developing clean offshore wind energy outside the proposed sanctuary boundaries. If designated, it would extend marine sanctuary protection to waters extending north of San Francisco Bay to the Santa Barbara Channel Islands.

What’s true in natural systems is true in human society as well. Our lives and fates are intertwined. I’m proud to live and work in a state that recognizes our interdependence. When we work together, when we empower and protect the most vulnerable, we are all stronger and our futures are more secure.