Addressing ocean sewage pollution: Financing wastewater treatment upgrades at scale

Addressing ocean sewage pollution: Financing wastewater treatment upgrades at scale

This webinar originally aired on Thursday, August 3, 2023. Presented by: Tanya Amaya of the Coral Reef Alliance, Roderic Hodges of Marine Change, and Jos Hill of The Pew Charitable Trusts. Description: Ocean sewage pollution is a global challenge that is damaging marine and coastal ecosystems and harming people’s health. Improving management of human waste can be complex and expensive, yet the impacts can dramatically improve coastal ecosystems and human health. In this webinar we will hear from Tanya Amaya, Regional Program Director for Mesoamerica at the Coral Reef Alliance, about how they improved wastewater management in West End, Roatan, Honduras, and their approach and challenges to scaling wastewater improvements across Honduras. We will also hear from Roderic Hodges, Director of Investment at Marine Change, about an assessment of sanitation investment in Southeast Asia and the operations and management business model innovation necessary to finance fixing this issue at scale.

Addressing ocean sewage pollution: Financing wastewater treatment upgrades at scale

Strengthening Blue Carbon Solutions in US Ocean Policy

This webinar originally aired on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Presented by: Anne Christianson of the Center for American Progress. Description: The ocean is gaining prominence in climate change policy circles as a tool for addressing the climate crisis. Blue carbon, the carbon captured and stored by marine and coastal ecosystems and species, offers potential as a “nature-based solution” to climate change. However, some blue carbon interventions may not be suitable as a climate mitigation response. This presentation will present results from a recent paper that gives context to numerous blue carbon sequestration pathways, quantifying their potential to sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and comparing these sequestration pathways to point-source emissions reductions. The applicability of blue carbon will be discussed in terms of multiple international policy frameworks, to help individuals and institutions utilize the appropriate framework to reach ocean conservation and climate mitigation goals.

Addressing ocean sewage pollution: Financing wastewater treatment upgrades at scale

Developing Offshore Wind in US Waters Part 1: The Planning and Regulatory Framework

This webinar originally aired Wednesday, July 19, 2023. Presented by: Brian Hooker of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management Office of Renewable Energy Programs, Betsy Nicholson of the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, and Joy Page of the US Department of Energy Wind Energy Technology Office. Description: The deployment of offshore wind energy facilities in US waters has tremendous potential to help the country deliver on its climate change commitments and clean energy goals. It is also a reality beginning to take shape with the first commercial-scale facilities beginning construction in 2023 in the Northeast US. In Part 1 of our webinar series on ocean wind energy in US waters, we will explore the historical and policy background and framing behind the US wind energy transition, including an introduction to the planning and regulation processes and the players involved. This webinar will set the groundwork for future discussions exploring offshore wind energy, its future in US waters, and its compatibility and interactions with marine protected areas and other ocean uses.

Addressing ocean sewage pollution: Financing wastewater treatment upgrades at scale

Managing for Climate Change in MPAs: Stories and Tools from National Marine Sanctuaries and the National MPA Center

This webinar originally aired on Thursday, April 27, 2023. Presented by: Lauren Wenzel of the NOAA National Marine Protected Areas Center, Zac Cannizzo of the NOAA National Marine Protected Areas Center and Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, Sara Hutto of the Greater Farallones Association and Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, and Jillian Neuberger of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and National Marine Protected Areas Center. Description: U.S. National Marine Sanctuaries and the National Marine Protected Areas Center are leaders in MPA management in a changing ocean. By leveraging the diversity of ecosystems, geographies, cultures, and experiences represented in the National Marine Sanctuary System, they have developed a suite of products that can help other MPA managers advance and accelerate climate-smart management of their MPAs. This webinar will highlight climate monitoring, assessment, and adaptation experiences from the National Marine Sanctuary System and share a number of new products and tools from the National MPA Center, including an MPA Climate Vulnerability Assessment Guide and Climate Adaptation Story Map, designed to help MPA managers accelerate and enhance climate monitoring, assessment, and adaptation within their own MPAs.

Addressing ocean sewage pollution: Financing wastewater treatment upgrades at scale

Assessing MPA Resilience: An introduction to R-SAT, the Resilience Self-Assessment Tool for MPAs

This webinar originally aired on Thursday, April 13, 2023. Presented by: Jean-Jacques Goussard of the Ocean Governance Project. Description: The online MPA Resilience Assessment Platform has been developed within the Resilience Partnership, a component of the EU-funded Ocean Governance Project. The platform addresses the ability of MPAs to deal with the environmental, social, economic, cultural, institutional, political, and technical aspects of rapid changes. A key component of the platform – R-SAT, the Resilience Self-Assessment Tool – is a rapid and accessible self-assessment tool that provides clear results and practical guidelines and recommendations that can help MPAs develop skills to deal with rapid changes internally and in the surrounding region. The tool also stimulates discussion that builds a common knowledge base and understanding among managers and other stakeholders and provides important input to management plans. MPA managers from 16 countries around the world are already using R-SAT. New developments with the tool will enable it to be used for prospective MPAs, over a wider geographic area, with more stakeholders, and account for 30×30 objectives.

Addressing ocean sewage pollution: Financing wastewater treatment upgrades at scale

A New Toolkit for Engaging Youth in Ocean Health and Conservation

This webinar originally aired on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. Presented by: Ajay Sawant of Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine, Julia Lara Navarrete of Autonomous University of Baja California, Rebecca Allen of Western Washington University, Serag Heiba of Chinese University of Hong Kong, Summer Snell of Brookes University, and Frances Lang of The Ocean Foundation. Description: With support from The Ocean Foundation and National Geographic Society, a group of young writers between the ages of 18-25 are creating a “youth ocean action toolkit” focused on the ocean literacy principles and marine protected areas (MPAs). This toolkit – written by youth for youth – provides community examples of how youth can take action to conserve their ocean; demonstrates the benefit of MPAs for ocean conservation; includes links to resources and multimedia content; and features a strong social media component. The toolkit will be available this summer in English and Spanish. This webinar featuring some of the toolkit’s youth authors will provide an overview of the content and techniques to engage and empower young people around the world.