As a kid, I was constantly at the beach, its vast ecosystems inspiring me to pursue a career in a STEM field. To this day I chase the wonder I felt looking at the mini ecosystems of tide pools, fascinated by the diverse life my two sisters and I found within them.
In order to do my part and push the Legislature to truly start gearing toward passing more climate conscious bills, I went to Sacramento CalPIRG to take part in Oceans Day, a massive coalition of environmental organizations all working toward one important goal: ensuring California’s oceans and coastlines remain the important social and environmental asset they are. We hosted a press conference where various senators and assemblymembers spoke on the sheer importance of the bills they were championing, and their hopes to make strides toward a more equitable, environmentally sustainable future for California.
To ensure that future generations can be instilled with the same wonder I felt as a child, we need to push for the expansion and continued protection of our Marine Protected Areas to guarantee that we are not just idly waiting for the inevitable collapse of California’s amazing coastline. MPAs are shown to be a critically important tool that we need to utilize if we want to protect the immense biodiversity and cultural significance of our coastline as they protect marine species from threats like overfishing, pollution, and habitat destruction.