Blue Vision Summit to Address Ocean, Coastal Needs
Hundreds of leaders will gather in Washington, D.C., on March 7-10 for the second national Blue Vision Summit, according to a Feb. 18 press release.
The summit will center on encouraging the new Obama administration and 111th Congress to become champions for our public seas, highlighting practical solutions to marine environmental problems, and focusing on critical links between the ocean and fossil fuel-fired climate change.
Among the list of speakers are White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Nancy Sutley, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.), California Secretary of Resources Mike Chrisman, Ralph Nader, Sylvia Earle, and Philippe Cousteau.
Panels will focus on marine policy, exploration, aquaculture and fishing, clean ocean energy, green ports, the Arctic meltdown, ocean acidification, pollution, public health, and marine education such as Google Ocean.
“The Obama Administration and Congress are inheriting the worst economy of our lifetimes not to mention two wars and a climate crisis,” said David Helvarg, president of the Blue Frontier Campaign, one of 19 summit sponsoring organizations. “With over half the U.S. GDP generated by our coastal communities, the summit aims to show how vital a healthy ocean and coast are to our economy, security, and climate both in the United States and around the world. It’s not too late to turn the tide for our ocean planet.”
For more information, visit www.bluefront.org/bluevision.