Overview
Oceana uses science and advocacy to drive policies aimed at stopping climate change. Our three current areas of focus are preventing offshore drilling, preventing seismic airgun blasting and promoting offshore wind energy.
Perhaps the gravest threat to our oceans and our planet is a changing climate. Unprecedented levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are warming the planet and disrupting weather patterns, leading to flooding, melting ice, rising seas, droughts, and the devastation of ecosystems on land and at sea.
Oceans are among the most effective buffers against climate change, but as more carbon is absorbed by the oceans they become more acidic, reducing their capacity for absorbing fossil fuel emissions. This acidification is killing shellfish and corals—vital components of the entire food web—threatening marine populations from the smallest polyps to the largest whales.
Oceana is determined to help end our dependence on dirty fossil fuels, the leading source of carbon pollution on the planet. We use science, litigation and grassroots advocacy to win policy victories that prevent the expansion of offshore drilling and seismic airgun blasting, and that promote the development of clean offshore wind energy.
What Oceana Does
Advocating for clean energy
Oceana works globally to promote clean, renewable energy sources like offshore wind. In the U.S., Oceana is working to extend the Investment Tax Credit (ITC), which is needed to fund offshore wind projects, and Oceana actively works in both Europe and South America to push for energy policies that include clean energy. At the same time, Oceana works to ensure that offshore wind is installed safely and with an overall benefit to the world’s oceans.
Keeping offshore drilling from expanding
As Oceana pushes for renewable energy, Oceana works to ensure that all preexisting offshore drilling projects are operated safely and responsibly, while also working to keep new projects from developing. As proven by the BP oil spill disaster, offshore drilling can have devastating impacts on marine ecosystems and wildlife—from destroying fisheries, to harming marine mammals, sea turtles, and birds. For that reason, Oceana campaigns to keep seismic airgun blasting—a stepping stone to offshore drilling—from coming to the U.S. East Coast, as well as keeping the Arctic safe from oil exploration.
