- The Ripple
- Posts
- Happy blue new year ✨
Welcome to 2024!
Weʻve been sharing blue news, ocean jobs, conservation stories, and global announcements for three years with The Ripple! Thank you for being here!
This year in particular was marked by waves of progress for ocean climate solutions both within Futureswell and outside of it, we cannot wait to see what 2024 has in store for all us.
What's New?
Futureswell worked with U.S. State Department at COP28 to share big ocean climate news!
Last month, Futureswell and ocean climate solutionist Bodhi Patil interviewed two key leaders of federal agencies on ocean climate priorities: Dr. Sarah Kapnick of NOAA and Brenda Mallory of the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
Both of these women are leading ocean climate initiatives at the highest level in the United States, and our goal was to discuss what that means for the movement.
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Chief Scientist Dr. Sarah Kapnick
NOAA is the federal agency responsible for weather data, coastal restoration, climate monitoring, and fishery management in the United States. We think understanding the perspective of established scientists in their agency is vital for cooperation in building the ocean climate solutions of the future.
White House Chair of Council on Environmental Quality with Brenda Mallory on Ocean Justice - Deep Dive Interview Series
At #COP28 the U.S. federal government unleashed the first ever Ocean Justice Strategy, which outlines the ways justice will be integrated into federal ocean priorities to support frontline coastal communities, resource them with jobs, reduce barriers to engagement, and enhance OJ through knowledge, data, and education.
We spoke with Brenda Mallory on what this strategy means moving forward, and the importance of embedding ocean justice in all areas of the federal government. Brenda’s role is to coordinate the federal government’s priorities and policies on climate change, environmental justice, public lands, oceans, wildlife conservation, and sustainability.
Futureswell covers ocean conservation solutions in Bali 🌴
Recently Carissa and Alex explored Indonesia, and met with incredible ocean conservation organizations to learn about their work and share it with our community! Over the course of two weeks we:
Joined a 4Ocean beach cleanup in preventing single use plastics from entering the ocean while learning about their work across Bali.
Most plastics and pollution enter the ocean in this part of the world by rivers which accumulate and transport inland debris. You can contribute to the plastic free movement by incorporating these three easy steps into your life 👇
Reduce and reuse single use plastics.
Make a habit of removing trash and plastics from your environment.
Post your efforts on social media to encourage others leading by example!
Visited the Sea Turtle Conservation and Education Center to understand how sea turtles are rescued, rehabilitated, and released to recover threatened populations. We walked up to 12 green sea turtles that had just arrived after being saved by the illegal wildlife trafficking trade.
Joined Nuansa Pulau and Coral Cousins in planting coral on Nusa Penida, and learned how their coral restoration approaches are saving reef ecosystems. Bali is part of the geographic coral triangle of the west Pacific Ocean, a region that contains more than 500 species of coral and some of the healthiest reefs in the world!
New Episode of Marine Biology Reacts Series with Joe Giglio 🦈
Have you ever wondered Why sharks attack? or What to do if you are in that situation? Go check out our new marine biologist reacts video where Joe breaks down viral videos of negative shark interactions in the wild and how to prevent them. Sharks are not usually a threat to humans, and most negative interactions is the result of mistaken identity, environmental unawareness, and improper handling of the animals.
Blue News
White House Announces Ocean Justice Strategy at COP28
At COP28, the U.S. State Department announced the first ever Ocean Justice Strategy, following the release of the Ocean Climate Action Plan (OCAP) earlier this year. Both of these plans will work together as a frameworks to guide the priorities of the federal government, making this an incredible milestone for the ocean climate movement.
 |  |
Other Highlights of COP28
COP28 did not include the bold, ambitious outcomes our collective was fighting for, but it did include steps of progress forward.
Here are a few:
Loss and damage fund passed on first day of COP28
Ocean implemented into final text
Plans to decarbonize maritime shipping by 2050
Technical assistance and ocean diplomacy offered by the Ocean Action 2030 Coalition
Supporting blue economies, marine protection, spatial planning, and sustainable fisheries
All Aboard the Jellyfish Elevator
A perfectly timed photo captured a fish riding a jellyfish as it ascending through the ocean column at night. Photographed by Tom Shleshinger, the photo won the Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition as it highlighted one of the largest and most frequent migration events to occur in the oceans.
Billions of marine creatures from the deep twilight zone undertake nightly vertical migrations as they need to feed in the nutrient rich shallow surface waters. These migrations are vital for nutrient circulation and many juvenile fish take advantage of the jellyfish as hitching a ride offers some protection and rest. Read more
Ocean Careers
Join a Marine Society!
Furthering your career in marine sciences is all about who you know! By joining a society for the particular section of marine sciences you will connect with a vital network of already established scientists in the field. Even if you do not become a member, societies like this offer updated job boards pertaining to marine mammalogy, pertinent ocean news, and information on upcoming conferences. One of our members, Joe Giglio, attended the 2020 Marine Mammal Conference and used the opportunity to work with the University of Hawai’i Marine Biology Institute studying humpback whale bioenergetics with drones!
Join a Job Board!
We have posted a few job boards here in the monthly Ripple before, but this is one that none of us should live without. The Schmidt Ocean Job Board is filled with uniquely marine conservationist jobs. We recommend keeping various job boards saved in your bookmarks so you can check them when you are online, you never know when your dream job will post a vacancy. Check it out here
Featured Opportunities!
JOBS
INTERNSHIPS
Community Feature: Care About Climate
Care About Climate is an international organization dedicated too engaging young people in global climate policymaking. Each year, they represent youth interests at COP and push the mark for our leaders. We hosted Co-Executive Director Hailey Campbell on Sustainability & The Sea to share more about the organization and her climate change impact work.
