This paper argues that climate policies like the Green New Deal should integrate ocean-based solutions with terrestrial approaches, creating what the authors call a 'Teal Deal' that combines land and sea strategies for renewable energy, transportation, food security, and habitat restoration. The researchers conducted a policy analysis and literature review to identify four key sectors where ocean and terrestrial climate solutions could be integrated: renewable energy, transportation, food security, and habitat restoration. They analyzed existing policy frameworks and proposed specific ocean-based approaches that complement terrestrial strategies. Offshore winds blow harder and more consistently than on land, with potential to tap more than 100 GW of untapped offshore wind resources in U.S. Federal waters. Wind strength peaks in the afternoon and evening when solar energy declines but electricity demand is highest, making offshore wind complementary to solar power. European offshore wind farms generated 18.5 GW of clean power in 2018 and supported as many as 130,000 full-time equivalent jobs per year. Offshore energy development in the U.S. currently intersects nine different domestic policies, creating bureaucratic obstacles that need streamlining. The research provides a policy framework for addressing climate change more fully by using terrestrial and ocean resources together. It could help policymakers create more effective climate strategies that reduce risk through diversification while maximizing economic benefits and carbon reduction goals.
Citation
Dundas, Steven J.; Levine, Arielle S.; Lewison, Rebecca L.; Doerr, Angee N.; White, Crow; Galloway, Aaron W. E.; Garza, Corey; Hazen, Elliott L.; Padilla‐Gamiño, Jacqueline; Samhouri, Jameal F.; Spalding, Ana; Stier, Adrian; White, J. Wilson (2020). Integrating oceans into climate policy: Any green new deal needs a splash of blue. Conservation Letters.
This paper is Open Access.
Cite this article
Dundas et al. (2020). A Teal Carbon Framework Connects Land and Sea Climate Mitigation. Ocean Recoveries Lab. https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12716
