Our ocean is overheating – but we can help. From ditching dirty fossil fuels to protecting important marine areas, our actions can make a difference for our ocean's health. Photo: Brian Skerry.
In recent years, New Englanders endured unprecedented heatwaves. Suffocating temperatures, soaring to over 100 degrees, have hit our homes and families. Here on New Hampshire’s seacoast, my family and I have come up with some creative ways to cool down, from backyard camping under the stars to hosting lemonade stands.
Yet, no activity beats our all-time favorite: a day at the ocean. Surfing, boogie boarding, seeing who can stay the longest in the cold water, and laughing as we jump over the glimmering ocean waves. But the reality is, climate change puts even these simple pleasures at risk – because New England’s ocean is overheating.
The ocean has given us so much – it’s time for us to help it cool down.
How Is the Ocean Overheating?
Over the last few decades, ocean temperatures worldwide have drastically increased. In New England, the Gulf of Maine is heating up faster than 97% of the global ocean. The main reason for this overheating? Our ocean is working overtime to protect us.
When harmful gas emissions – like carbon dioxide – build up in the atmosphere, they create a thick blanket of pollution around our planet, trapping heat inside. The ocean steps in to help. Since 1955, the ocean has absorbed more than 90% of Earth’s excess heat. But as we continue to spew these harmful emissions, the ocean can’t keep up with all that excess heat.
An overheating ocean spells bad news for marine life and humans. We already feel the impacts of rising seas, extreme weather events, and the collapse of important commercial fisheries. The health of our ocean is in crisis. We can help. Here’s how:
How to Cool the Ocean:
#1. Ditch Dirty Fossil Fuels
When we installed solar panels on our home, our oldest daughter, Anneke, helpfully pointed out that the panels looked “ugly.” But those ugly panels soon became a symbol of pride for our family. She now thinks it’s really cool that we produce our own electricity while letting the Earth take a breath.
For too long, New Englanders have relied on burning dirty fossil fuels to power our homes. This has taken a toll on our communities and the environment – including our ocean. Clean, renewable energy sources like solar and offshore wind offer a long-term solution to meet our energy needs without sacrificing our health or economy. Transitioning to clean energy can also give the ocean a break from having to absorb all that excess heat and carbon pollution spewed by fossil fuel power.
In New England, CLF has helped to lead these efforts. Today, offshore wind turbines in our waters are producing clean, renewable power for thousands of New England homes. We’ve fought to minimize the impact of construction on the ocean environment while developing energy infrastructure that won’t keep heating the water.
That means ditching dirty fossil fuels for good — and not just individually home by home. We must push our state and federal governments to support and fund the transition to clean renewable energies at the scale of cities, states, and ultimately, the whole country.
#2. Help Us Protect Special Ocean Places
“My mom works for the ocean,” my son Miles tells his friends. And I like to think that’s true. I work for the ocean, for the wildlife it hosts, and for the communities whose livelihoods rely on it.
I wanted to show my kids one of the ocean treasures that I work to protect. So, we visited the Mystic Aquarium’s special exhibit on the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument.
My kids were fascinated by the whimsical and colorful creatures there. From acrobatic humpback whales to adorable dumbo octopuses, the Canyons and Seamounts provides refuge to myriad species – both common and rare. That’s why in 2016, President Obama designated it a Marine National Monument.
Unique areas like the Canyons and Seamounts are threatened by climate change, but they can also be part of the solution. Warming water affects wildlife’s ability to feed, migrate, reproduce, and generally thrive. We need to cool down the ocean to protect the delicate web of life in our waters.
Safeguarding special places in the ocean can help us achieve that. Protecting cradles of diverse marine life improves the ocean’s ability to absorb climate-damaging pollution from the atmosphere. For example, Cashes Ledge, a hotspot of biodiversity in the Gulf of Maine, nurtures the deepest, densest kelp forest on the eastern seaboard. These delicate seaweed fronds absorb planet-warming carbon. The region’s nutrient-rich waters also produce thriving phytoplankton populations, the itty-bitty algae that soak up carbon and turn it into half the world’s oxygen. Places like these are critical to help our ocean cool down and create resilience against the worst impacts of climate change.
To turn the tide on climate change, scientists are urging us to protect at least 30% of our ocean by 2030. Right now, barely 4.7% of the northern Atlantic is protected. Of that, only the Canyons and Seamounts ranks as highly protected, meaning it is off limits to almost all harmful commercial activities.
Today, the Trump administration is actively undermining efforts to protect the ocean. They’ve attempted to roll back protections on existing protected areas, stalled on creating more protected areas, moved to open up our precious waters to oil and gas drilling, and more. We’re fighting to maintain and strengthen protections for special places in our ocean, including the places that capture the most carbon pollution that contributes to climate change.
You can help. Add your name to CLF’s petition to support permanent protections for Cashes Ledge.
#3. Say No to Plastics
My younger daughter, Leia, enjoys scrolling through online videos that feature ocean wildlife. Lately, plastics have gained a lot of attention on social media platforms for harming marine mammals. But that plastic harms our environment even before it gets to the ocean.
More than 99% of the plastic that we use comes from refined crude oil and natural gas. Producing and using these fossil fuels produces the carbon pollution that warms our ocean. In 2019, the Center for International Environmental Law estimated that plastic production and incineration would add 850 million metric tons of climate-damaging to our atmosphere. Our ocean ends up absorbing a large percentage of this pollution, which has the same ocean warming impact as almost 200 coal power plants. We can’t cool our ocean without first tackling plastic pollution.
We can help. By pushing our legislators to pass laws that reduce plastic pollution, we can stop it from ending up in our ocean and harming wildlife – and we’re limiting the emissions its manufacture and transport cause, too.
You Can Cool Our Ocean Too
Working for the ocean takes both individual action and collective work for systemic change. You can be a part of the solution. Ensuring a future where our kids can continue to enjoy the ocean – and our planet – depends on our ability to take collective action.
Learn more about CLF’s work to protect New England’s ocean and stay tuned for opportunities to engage in our advocacy efforts.
