Blue carbon is a critical component to protecting water quality in costal communities. From mangroves and salt marshes to seagrass and types of seaweed, blue carbon ecosystems are capable of filtering, strengthening shores, and improving the diversity of life in our ocean and freshwaters.
Water connects us all, and ensuring our waterways and marine ecosystems remain healthy requires understanding the decisions that shape what happens beneath the surface. These decisions involve questions of protection, regulation, and prioritization, and they are directly shaped by policy. From regulating pollutants to authorizing grants for marine research development, policies play a key role in ensuring our ecosystems and people remain healthy.
Marine Plastics Ambassador Ariane Lemaire shares her perspective on the connection between small sustainable behaviors and greater momentum in the movement to eliminate plastic pollution.
Keeping plastic out of the waterways does not begin at the shoreline. It begins in our homes, schools, businesses, communities, and policies. Whether you live 1,000 miles or 1 mile away from the ocean, your upstream actions make an impact. It takes scientists asking better questions, communities and businesses testing solutions, policymakers listening to the people they represent, and young leaders building the momentum needed to turn good ideas into lasting change.
Every August, National Water Quality Month is observed in the United States to highlight the importance of clean water— a vital element in human health, ecosystem protection, and the overall global need for access to safe drinking water.