The first-ever U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan aims to address the myriad challenges facing the world's oceans, from marine heatwaves and pollution to overfishing. Recognizing the ocean's critical role in stabilizing the climate, the plan sets out to create a carbon-neutral future, accelerate nature-based solutions, and enhance community resilience to ocean changes. The plan includes a range of strategies, such as expanding marine protected areas, focusing on renewable ocean-based energy, and studying carbon sequestration in seabed formations. While the plan is comprehensive, its success hinges on effective implementation, including collaboration across federal agencies and input from communities and environmental experts.

Jean Flemma, director of Ocean Defense Initiative, lauded the plan as a significant step in leveraging the ocean's power against climate change. The plan could be implemented through a mix of executive and legislative actions, directing federal climate funding towards its targets. It also promotes public engagement and the use of Indigenous knowledge to create climate-resilient marine protected areas.

The plan was shaped by a committee that included representatives from nearly every part of the executive branch, and it aligns with a high seas treaty agreed upon by 195 countries. It estimates that ocean energy could meet more than half of the U.S.'s electrical power needs if fully harnessed. However, marine scientist Rebecca Helm warns that ocean projects need to undergo strict environmental review to protect ecosystems.

Christy Goldfuss, chief policy impact officer with the Natural Resources Defense Council, praised the plan's holistic approach to ocean management. However, she urged caution when it comes to manipulating ocean chemistry for carbon removal, emphasizing the need to avoid past mistakes that harmed marine ecosystems and communities.