Coastal communities are making waves in ocean conservation
In this episode of The Joy Report, we dive deep into ocean conservation and the emerging movement for ocean justice. Learn why oceans have been overlooked in climate solutions, how they are a powerful tool in fighting climate change, and meet the leaders reimagining our relationship with the sea. From the Blue New Deal to Indigenous wisdom, we explore how protecting our oceans can pave the way for a just, equitable, and sustainable future.
Hosted by @ariellevking
Script by Marisa Orozco
Research by Marisa Orozco, @ariellevking + @diandramarizet
Audio Engineering + Music by @awesomenostalgia
Produced by @diandramarizet + @sustainablesabs
This episode is sponsored by @montereybayaquarium
Episode Transcript
Introduction
Welcome to The Joy Report, a podcast dedicated to sharing stories about climate solutions and environmental justice, grounded in intersectionality and optimism. This show is brought to you by the organization, Intersectional Environmentalist. I’m your host, Arielle V. King, an environmental justice strategist and educator passionate about making environmentalism irresistible. Tune in for a dose of climate joy and actionable steps you can take to help protect people and the planet.
In this episode, we’re taking a deep dive into ocean conservation. We’ll explain how global leaders have under-prioritized oceans in conversations about climate solutions, define ocean justice and highlight the people leading this movement, and show that the ocean is an excellent example of a climate solution that already exists.
Support for this episode is brought to you by The Monterey Bay Aquarium. More than just a destination — the Aquarium is committed to protecting our ocean. Through initiatives such as rescuing and rehabilitating sea otters, safeguarding coastal ecosystems, and fostering a passion for ocean stewardship in young leaders, the Aquarium’s mission is to inspire conservation of the ocean. Join the Aquarium and learn more about the animals that call the ocean home. Check out Monterey Bay Aquarium dot org slash together to learn more.
The Problem
The ocean is our largest ecosystem on the planet. It’s home to more than half of all life on Earth, and it can take carbon dioxide from the atmosphere at rates up to 4x higher than terrestrial forests can. Land-dwellers, air benders, and sea creatures alike — we all rely on the ocean for our livelihood.
Yet this life-saving force is still a big mystery to us. Currently, only 3% of the global ocean is effectively protected, making the communities and countries most reliant on the ocean extremely vulnerable. Although they are hit the hardest by the effects of climate change, their voices and experiences aren’t being adequately included or considered in mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Take what’s happening to the Small Island Developing States, or SIDS. Officially recognized at the 1992 UN Conference, SIDS are a group of 39 nations across the Caribbean, Pacific, and South China Sea — think countries like Belize, Fiji, Jamaica, or Samoa. They share a unique set of economic and environmental challenges and get most of their natural resources from the waters around them. As a result, when climate change affects the tide, they bear the brunt of the impact. Biodiversity loss, rising sea levels, and devastating natural disasters are becoming increasingly common throughout the region. And topped with their limited institutional capacity and scarce financial resources, SIDS are forced to rely on developed nations for aid.
This exchange perpetuates a dangerous power dynamic. The developed countries are neither invested in liberating the people of SIDS, nor are they invested in the reconstruction and development of these communities. The aid is ultimately an unsustainable band-aid solution, putting SIDS further into debt and taking away their power and agency to be self-determining nations.
There’s also the decades-old pollution crisis in the Tijuana River. Water flows from the City of Tijuana through the Tijuana River Valley in Southern California and into the Pacific Ocean. Due to inadequate water infrastructure and the increased frequency and intensity of storms, transboundary flows become overwhelmed with untreated wastewater, sewage, and debris. Unsurprisingly, the impacts of the polluted water are detrimental. Beaches are closed multiple times throughout the year because of excessive levels of bacteria and pollutants, and surrounding communities suffer from poor air quality that poses a major risk to their health and well-being. It’s both a public health crisis and an environmental one.
Climate change is putting entire communities, cultures, and ecosystems at risk and we are not equipped to deal with the devastation that lies ahead. But the climate mitigation and solutions needed already exist, and there is a framework that guides us on how we can get there. That framework is called ocean justice.
One organization that has been at the forefront of leading ocean justice is Urban Ocean Lab, a nonprofit think tank that cultivates rigorous, creative, equitable, and practical climate and ocean policy for the future of coastal cities. According to Urban Ocean Lab, ocean justice “harnesses a power shift advancing the voices, full participation and leadership of historically excluded Peoples and Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) communities in ocean decision-making, ensures meaningful and equitable engagement of all communities, and delivers equal access to healthy and prospering shorelines and oceans for all.” Existing at the intersection of social inclusion, ocean stewardship, and justice, ocean justice provides an intersectional approach to protecting our planet.
Intervention
BILL MCKIBBEN: We have, and this is the key part always to remember, a few years to make very, very dramatic changes, the biggest changes humans have made in how they organize their economies in hundreds of years. And if we don't do it, this will get much, much worse. But it's entirely possible to do it. We have, as Ayana says, the tools that we need. We can begin to see them starting to be deployed. The question is whether or not we will do it at a pace that begins to catch up with the physics of climate change. And that, in turn, depends on, I think, at least in part, some of those questions of psychology that Ayana keeps discussing.
DR. AEJ: How quickly and how justly, right?
BM: Absolutely.
DR. AEJ: There's different possible futures that we just further entrench inequality, and that's no good.
That was Bill McKibben, an author and environmental activist, and Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, speaking at a live taping of the Climate One radio show and podcast. This clip speaks to the reality that we’re living in. It’s completely valid and understandable to feel fear and anxiety about the grave damage that climate change has made— and will continue to make — on our planet. But it’s also important to draw on other emotions, like hope and joy and radical imagination, to build the future we want to live in.
Like McKibben and Dr. Johnson said, we have the tools we need, and the ocean is the perfect example of a climate solution that already exists. Blue carbon is a term that describes the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, tidal marshes, and seagrasses. The vast blue expanse acts as a carbon sink, absorbing around a third of the carbon dioxide we’ve admitted and more than 90% of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases. However, when these ecosystems are destroyed, they emit the carbon they have stored for centuries out into the atmosphere. So it’s critical that we not only cut down on human-caused emissions, but also preserve, protect, and restore these natural carbon sinks.
One way we can put these protections into practice is by strategically increasing the amount of ocean we protect.
There’s the 30x30 target, which refers to the global commitment to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Governments committed to the conservation plan in 2022. Now, still only 3% of the global ocean is effectively protected. There’s still so much to work to be done, but with urgency and collective efforts, 30x30 can be achieved.
You’ve heard of the Green New Deal, but have you heard of the Blue New Deal? Noticing that oceans and coasts were missing from the Green New Deal, Senator Elizabeth Warren proposed the plan in 2019. It aims to restore and protect coastal ecosystems, invest in renewable offshore energy, address social inequities, and support good jobs in the blue economy. The plan brings fishing and conservation groups, coastal communities, and Indigenous peoples to the table in developing ocean-based solutions.
Dr. Johnson was the co-author of the Blue New Deal. She understood that the ocean is a viable and vital solution to the climate crisis and must be included in federal politics. A plan like the Blue New Deal is actually long overdue, and Dr. Johnson knew that the longer we waited to enact strong ocean and climate policies, the more vulnerable people of color and low-income people in coastal communities would become.
In addition to writing the roadmap for including the ocean in climate policy and being the co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, Dr. Johnson is the author of *What If We Get It Right?,* a book about radically imagining life on the other side of this climate crisis, and *All We Can Save,* a best-selling climate anthology. She is doing incredible work to advance ocean justice in the climate policy space and beyond.
Because ocean justice is a relatively new concept, we have the opportunity to get this right. Just imagine… what if we include those most impacted by the effects of climate change at the table of ocean decision-making? What if we listen to our Indigenous siblings, who hold the blueprint for how to heal our ocean? What if we diversify the advocacy and research space and increase equitable, healthy access to the ocean? What if we reimagine the world we live in without replicating the systems of oppression we currently have today?
What if… what if… what if…
Main story
Coastal communities and organizations around the globe are leading the ocean justice movement by increasing representation and prioritizing diversity in the ocean advocacy space. They’re helping shape and push for policies like the Blue New Deal, weaving storytelling and ancestral wisdom in our connection to the ocean, and inspiring action to tackle climate catastrophe by way of water, all while having an intersectional approach.
One organization making a splash is Black in Marine Science, or BIMS. Founded by Dr. Tiara Moore, BIMS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to celebrate Black marine scientists, spread environmental awareness and inspire the next generation of scientific thought leaders. With various programs available like marine science immersion programs, annual scientific wellness retreats, and educational long AND short-form videos, BIMS fosters an inclusive space for Black marine scientists to build community and share knowledge.
Another program pushing for diversity in ocean advocacy is Diving with a Purpose’s Collective Approach to Restoring Our Ecosystems, or DWP CARES for short. We featured the org in an episode last season on Ecosystem Restoration.
TOSHA GRANTHAM: We identify, document, and monitor the indicators of a healthy coral reef by assessing changes in our survey sites in Florida and the Caribbean over time. We work with everyone and seek greater inclusion of people of color in the dive community and in climate policy conversations.
That’s Tosha Grantham, who supports youth diver training initiatives, like Dives Against Debris, outplanting, and reef restoration events. Anumi Sassaroli Oriana, a longtime DWP CARES participant and soon-to-be diving instructor, believes that restoring the coral ecosystem requires a multifaceted approach.
ANUMI SASSAROLI ORIANA: Restoring the coral ecosystem requires a multifaceted approach. It's really not just about fixing one issue, but it's about addressing a chain of interconnected problems. We need to work together to tackle overconsumption, overfishing, irresponsible tourism, lack of coastal regulation, mangrove destruction, and way more.
Protecting the ocean is also an Indigenous way of knowing and being, and we must let the original stewards of our Earth lead the way. According to AlterNatives to Blue Carbon Coloniality by Andrew Kalani Carlson, the commercial and colonial aspects of using blue carbon as a climate change mitigation strategy is further perpetuating climate colonialism. Carlson argues that institutions prioritize carbon dioxide removal over the ocean’s holistic social-ecological health. In doing this, corporations and institutions use blue carbon projects as a get-out-of-jail-free card to continue extracting from the Earth. Instead of investing in colonial blue carbon projects, Carlson calls for the full-scale restoration of Indigenous aquaculture and coastal cultivation practices.
The future is ancestral, and Indigenous communities have always been at the forefront of ocean justice action. Here is Bodhi Patil, a Gen Z ocean climate solutionist, highlighting the importance of Indigenous wisdom at the 2024 UN Climate Conference of Parties, or COP29, in Baku, Azerbaijan.
BODHI PATIL: … my generation sees that the health of our global economy and the health of nature are interconnected. And the only way that we can connect and protect these systems is if we ensure that frontline communities and Indigenous peoples, ocean and climate justice communities, are resourced and supported. It will take every single one of us, working every day with passion, love, and ferocity, in order to make sure we have a healthy and healed world. If we invest in the ocean, GenZ, and Indigenous solutions, then the future looks bright. And if not, well, I sure feel the weight on our soldiers right now.
The youth are certainly doing their part to ensure they grow up in a healthy and healed world. Meet ninth grader Demi Johnson, who is helping restore Mississippi’s oyster reefs.
DEMI JOHNSON: I think the coolest thing I've learned is that oysters actually serve as a filter in the water. I did not know that. And they actually can serve as a home to over 300 species in the water.
Oysters in Mississippi’s Gulf waters are damaged from the climate disasters over the past two decades. But there’s still hope. Johnson was recognized by National Geographic Society for growing more than 1,000 oysters, which are likely to spawn millions more.
JOHN YANG: Has this affected what you think you might want to study in college and maybe what you want to do as a career?
JOHNSON: Yes. So I want to attend University of Michigan and specifically I want to major in environmental law. And once I'm done with that career rise, I want to represent environmental groups.
Storytelling and art in ocean advocacy are essential to highlighting ocean-focused solutions. Danni Washington is a science communicator who uses her skills to distill complex science topics into easily accessible programming. She’s the narrator for the PBS documentary “Ocean Invaders,” the TV host for the educational series XPLORATION NATURE KNOWS BEST, and a voice actor for a character in the animated Disney Jr. show Ariel. Washington’s work in media helps youth understand the importance of protecting our ocean.
Also in ocean media is marine biologist, filmmaker, and photographer Inka Cresswell. From capturing sea lions feeding on kelp to sharks circling the water, her work demystifies life underwater and highlights the beauty of our marine ecosystems. She was most recently the assistant producer and series researcher for the Netflix series *Our Oceans,* which explores stories across each of Earth’s five oceans. Above all, her projects encourage people to become advocates for their local coasts and the wider ocean.
The ocean is hurting, but there are so many organizations and people who are healing the ocean, too. And these people stay hopeful. Here’s Oriana again from DWP CARES.
ASO: What gives me the most hope is seeing the next generation. Young people today are growing up with more knowledge, more tools, and more motivation to make a difference. I see mentors, I see leaders and activists paving the way, and that inspires me to keep going.
The devastation seen throughout her years diving hasn’t deterred her from staying hopeful because she’s also witnessed incredible resiliency and progress. Grantham stays hopeful too.
TG: It's important to stay the course, not listen to doomsday messaging or give up. Everything we do counts. Coral globally stands a better chance of rebounding with their vast capacity for resiliency if we allow them to do so by being willing to modify our behaviors, even modestly. It will work if we're willing to do it collectively and every day.
The ocean holds a universe of possibilities for our future. I want to leave you with these powerful words from Indigenous artist and environmental defender Jacob Johns spoken at COP29.
JACOB JOHNS: And we are rebirthing into the new world that all of us have been working for, all of us that feel. I want you all to leave here with hope and understand that out of the destruction lies the creation. And that we must embody that creation…
This was during the Indigenous Wisdom Keepers delegation panel, which Johns organized and led. He has long advocated for the merging of ancestral wisdom and contemporary activism, and he believes that humanity needs to reconnect with the planet.
JJ: … because the fire in your heart is what will save us. The heat from the core of your being will save us. You will vibrate at a higher rate. This is the new way. And we are here to tell you, as your sisters and our brothers, that we are family. That we are nature. And more importantly that we are each other and we are a physical embodiment of the planetary consciousness.
Call to Action
As Johns expressed, out of the destruction lies the creation. The ocean is vast and wide, so it can sometimes feel like our individual efforts are just “a drop in the ocean.” But collective action is where the creation lies. The ocean is a reminder of our interconnectedness, and we have a shared responsibility to take care of it. Here are some ways you can participate in the ocean justice movement.
First, build a relationship with the ocean. Without a relationship, an appreciation, or an understanding of how we are connected to the water, it’s hard to care what’s happening to it.
Understand that the ocean is a climate solution and a potential model for future policies and practices. Support ocean-based solutions, like the Blue New Deal. Listen to Indigenous peoples and coastal communities when considering voting for a representative or a climate solution. Talk about the value of the ocean with your family and friends and what they can do to join you in driving real impact.
Like the organizations and individuals we’ve mentioned, artists and storytellers are essential to growing and sustaining the movement. Watch the documentaries, share the Instagram infographics, and tell your own story! Support and join the artists and storytellers who are making ocean justice irresistible.
You don’t need to be a marine biologist or a diver to save the ocean. There are also lifestyle changes that you can do to help. Like when you go to the beach, leave nothing behind but your footprints. You can take shorter showers and limit laundry days to when you have a full load to reduce runoff and conserve water. And avoid single-use plastics like straws and water bottles that can end up in our oceans.
With greater understanding of ocean conservation comes increased innovation. From kelp agriculture to biodegradable alternatives to plastic, there has been an emergence of new methods and processes that will help save our ocean ecosystems. If this sounds interesting to you, we’ll explore all of this in our next episode.
Other positive climate news
Here’s some other positive climate news you should know about:
Finland recently approved a bill prohibiting ships from emitting wastewater into the Baltic Sea, which will protect the area’s fragile ecosystems.
The Montana Supreme Court agreed that the state’s energy policies violate its citizens’ constitutional right to a clean environment in Held v Montana. This sets a huge precedent for other youth environmental cases that are currently moving through the court systems.
Now the world’s 6th largest solar market, Pakistan is experiencing a boom in solar energy development. Thanks to the panels purchased in 2024, Pakistan has raised the country’s total power capacity by a third.
Additional IE updates
And in the world of Intersectional Environmentalist:
New Executive Director: We’re proud to announce Air Copeland as IE’s new Executive Director, who will be ushering in an exciting new chapter for our organization as an eco-media platform. Check out the Updates section of our website for more about Air and what to expect from us in 2025 .
Support CTA: If you love this podcast and want to support IE’s ongoing resource development, please remember that sharing our resources across platforms, rating our podcast episodes, and donating to IE helps us continue this work.
Outro
And remember, fighting the climate crisis is a marathon, not a sprint. We need everyone to get involved in a way that feels right for them, now more than ever.
Our individual positive actions do have power, and they’re strengthened when we do them together as a collective. Tune in next episode where we’ll explore innovations in the blue economy.
I’m your host, Arielle V. King, and thank you so much for listening to this episode of The Joy Report.
