A Deep Dive into Ocean Acidification: Policy Priorities in Oregon and California

• Main Author: Hasert, Ryan
• Other Authors: Wolters, Erika, Cramer, Lori, Spalding, Ana, Public Policy
• Format: Other/Unknown Material
• Language: English
• Published: Oregon State University
• Subjects: Ocean acidification
• Online Access: https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_projects/mw22vd66s

A product of global climate change, ocean acidification (OA) and other stressors increasingly put pressure on the economic, social, and cultural systems of Western U.S. coastal communities. In the face of increasing OA and local reports that OA is negatively impacting local communities’ socioeconomic structures, there is a clear need for policy action to both address the issue of OA and to support communities as they adapt to, and cope with, changes to marine food webs and marine chemical processes. While policy will likely play an important role in addressing OA and supporting communities, to date there has been limited formal attention towards synthesizing policy responses and analyzing them for their content. In this study, I conduct a review of federal policies, as well as policies from the Western states of California and Oregon (sites of intense OA pressure). In my review, I document the prevalence of policies that directly and indirectly address OA, and provide an overview of the differing ways in which OA is included in these policies and analyze the priorities that emerge from these OA policies. I then focus on stakeholders, noting the types of stakeholders mentioned in OA policies. Finally, I draw on domains of adaptive capacity, as identified by Cinner et al. (2018), to document the extent to which OA policies are aligned with these components of adaptive capacity and associated strategies, and how this alignment varies by policy level and focus. I contextualize my policy analysis within qualitative data from state and federal OA policy experts. In this policy scan and analysis, I review federal, state, and local OA policies as they pertain to Oregon and California to answer the following questions: 1.How many policies related to ocean acidification have been introduced in California, Oregon, and at the federal level? 1.1 What are the policy focal areas within ocean acidification legislation? 2.What stakeholders are mentioned in relation to ocean acidification? 3. What actions do ocean acidification ...