Transcript Linking Ocean Management to Climate Change

Linking Ocean Management
to Climate Change
VIKKI SPRUILL
President & CEO, Ocean Conservancy
June 7, 2007
The threat to the future of the ocean and the entire planet
is from climate change and global warming.
A recent National Research Council 10-year assessment of
Earth Science Applications from Space reported that our
satellite system has been in decline for years and that we’ll
loose 40% of our earth observing capacity by the end of this
decade - when we need it
MORE not LESS!
The President and Congress should consider a
“Mission to Planet EARTH”
The poorest of our planet’s residents – the
ones who’ve contributed the least to the
problem – will suffer the earliest and most
from climate change.
Relevance and a sense of urgency
will drive the need for better
governance and management.
“I don’t know why I don’t care about the bottom of the ocean, but I don’t.”
The link between oceans and
climate change will require
state and federal reform and
investment in two core
areas…
…science and
management.
Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument,
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands
Two bipartisan ocean commissions called for ocean
management reform…
So far, neither the
President nor Congress have made a dent In
implementing the recommendations.
We need leadership on climate change and ocean
management at both the federal and state level. We’re
seeing the states take the lead.
We’ve not seen much on the federal level.
In Massachusetts, we’re working to
build a constituency to secure a
landmark state Ocean Act.
In Florida, we helped create a Florida
Coastal and Ocean Coalition, a new
alliance of NGO’s to promote ocean
policy reforms.
Yes, we need ocean management, but
first we need to
save the planet
and the ocean
from climate
change!
The public gets it. The media gets it. Our scientists, military
leaders and mayors get it.
The leaders of the planet’s industrialized nations are
struggling to get it.
The only remaining question is:
Will our elected leaders
in this town
get it?