First of its Kind: A White House Ocean Justice Strategy

On December 8th, the White House released the first-ever Ocean Justice Strategy. It builds on commitments to environmental justice the administration made at COP28. The White House Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Science and Technology Policy describe it as a “vision for justice.” The strategy demonstrates how our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes connect culture, community, and history across the United States

The Ocean Justice Forum last year brought together eighteen grassroots and national nonprofit organizations from across the U.S., including NRDC, to address the shortcomings of past that have left frontline communities behind and think through what a just ocean future could be. The Forum resulted in a shared vision of what a just ocean future should look like.

The White House first called for creation of an ocean justice strategy in June with its Ocean Climate Action Plan. That called for the creation of the ocean justice strategy to look at how the federal government can better integrate environmental justice into ocean-related activities.

What do we mean when we talk about equity and justice in the context of ocean policy? At the core of it, it means that the communities most vulnerable to sea level rise, increasingly intense storms, and health effects from port pollution and petrochemical development should not shoulder the burden of the climate crisis. This is what is happening to our coastal communities—people of color and poor communities are harmed first and worst, as we saw when Hurricane Katrina deluged New Orleans, and continue to see in climate disasters today. The need for ocean justice is clear and it is urgent as communities face the impacts of the climate and biodiversity crises. 

When releasing the Ocean Justice Strategy, Brenda Mallory, the chair of the White House Council for Environmental Quality, said: 

“The ocean is a life source for us all, but because of historic injustices and underinvestment, some communities are hit harder by devastating climate change impacts. The Biden-Harris Administration’s new Ocean Justice Strategy will help to address historic inequities, improve the well-being of people in communities connected to the ocean, and safeguard a healthy ocean for everyone.”

The White House’s vision for ocean justice outlines three broad goals—

1. Embed Ocean Justice in Federal Activities by providing opportunities for meaningful community engagement, better incorporating equity into funding processes and budget development, weaving ocean justice into federal practices, and improving interagency coordination;
2. Develop a Diverse, Equitable, Inclusive, and Accessible Federal Ocean Workforce by growing federal staffing capacity, increasing recruitment within the federal ocean workforce and leadership pipeline, and recruiting and retaining students and early-career professionals; and
3. Enhance Ocean Justice Through Education, Data, and Knowledge by expanding and improving ocean education and workforce development, considering and applying Indigenous Knowledge throughout federal research and development, applying an ocean justice lens to research and ways of knowing, and expanding the federal tools used in characterizing social and environmental justice patterns to encompass ocean justice indicators.

The strategy includes goals, principles, and practices that the federal government can adopt to provide long-term, sustainable benefits for people, communities, and the marine environment. 

Ocean justice would be particularly well served by White House action in one critical area: phasing out federal leasing for offshore fossil fuel production. The reality is that as long as we continue to depend on fossil fuels, our communities will suffer. The unfolding climate crisis, propelled by greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel combustion, causes trillions in damages annually—crippling our economy and destabilizing communities nationwide. Transitioning to cleaner, justly-sourced renewable energy sources is increasingly urgent, and the federal government must lead the way. We can break free from the hold of Big Oil and secure a healthier and more equitable future for generations to come. In fact, our climate and community health depend on it. 

The new Ocean Justice Strategy is a historic first in laying out the framework for agency engagement to ensure forward-thinking and equity-based policies on the future of ocean conservation and usage. Ocean justice is not just about what we do, it’s how we do it and this strategy moves us towards a future where justice is centered.