1.5K Views 4 years ago

Biden Administration Announces Plans to Protect Oceans, Including New Marine Sanctuary off New York

In celebration of World Oceans Day on June 8th and National Ocean Month, the Biden administration announced a series of actions to take to protect our oceans. Among the plans is a proposal for a new marine sanctuary off New York, which is home to Sperm Whales and Sea Turtles.

Source: NOAA Sanctuaries/Youtube

The plan includes initiating the designation process of a new national marine sanctuary to preserve the Hudson Canyon in the Atlantic Ocean, initiation of efforts to create a U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan, and the phaseout of single-use plastics in national parks and other public lands.

“During National Ocean Month, we celebrate the beauty and bounty of our ocean and reaffirm our commitment to protecting and conserving our marine environments for a sustainable future,” said President Joe Biden.

The marine sanctuary would encompass the Hudson Canyon, a deep underwater valley that is 100 miles off the coast of New York and New Jersey. The canyon is one of the largest in the world and is 2.5 miles deep in parts and provides shelter for sperm whales, sea turtles, octopuses, and deep-sea corals.

“A sanctuary near one of the most densely populated areas of the Northeast U.S. would connect diverse communities across the region to the ocean and the canyon in new and different ways,” The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Administrator Rick Spinrad said in a statement. “As someone who grew up in New York City and went on to a career in ocean science, I am excited about how this amazing underwater environment can inspire shared interest in conserving our ocean.”

Environmental groups everywhere are applauding the proposals from the administration.

“We applaud President Biden and U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland for recognizing the devastating impact single-use plastic is having on our planet and taking meaningful action to keep this persistent pollutant out of our oceans and communities,” said Oceana’s plastics campaign director, Christy Leavitt.

Globally, we produce 300 million tons of plastic every year, 78 percent of which is NOT reclaimed or recycled. Around 8.8 million tons of plastic get dumped into the oceans every year! 700 marine animals are faced with extinction due to the threat that plastic poses to them in the form of entanglement, Pollution, and ingestion. 50 percent of sea turtles have plastic in their stomachs. By 2050, 99 percent of all seabird species will have ingested plastic waste. According to a study by the World Economic Forum, there will be one tonne of plastic for every three tonnes of fish by 2025, and if things go on business as usual, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish by 2050.

Read more about how companies like Facebook, Tupperware, Google, Dove, Budweiser, Carlsberg, and FIJI Water are working towards reducing plastic Pollution. Places around the world like Tel Aviv, California, Baltimore, Scotland, and many more are banning various single-use plastics, and others are coming up with creative ways to recycle and use plastic waste.

There are products you may be using or habits you may have that contribute to plastic Pollution. Learn more about how the use of Teabags, Cotton Swabs, Laundry, Contact Lenses, Glitter, and Sheet Masks pollute our oceans so you can make more informed decisions going forward. There are also numerous simple actions and switches that can help cut plastic out of our lives including, making your own cosmetics, shampoo, toothpaste, soap, household cleaners, using mason jars, reusable bags/bottles/straws, and avoiding microbeads!