
Why Should We Talk About Climate Change?
- Climate change
Marine mammals are sentinels of the sea: ecosystem indicators whose health provides insights into both the ocean’s health and our own. And right now, they are sending SOS signals.
The burning of fossil fuels, like coal, oil and methane gas for energy and transportation, is releasing carbon dioxide into the Earth’s atmosphere. That carbon dioxide is acting like a heat-trapping blanket, warming the air, land and ocean.
While marine mammals are resilient, warming waters can move fish populations deeper or further offshore, making it harder for seals, sea lions and whales to find food. Warmer temperatures also cause the water to expand and land ice to melt, resulting in sea level rise and the shrinking of critical breeding beaches.
Climate change is already impacting marine mammals, and more severe changes are expected in the coming years if we don’t act now to reduce fossil fuels. As these changes threaten more marine mammals and people alike, urgent climate action is needed to protect our future.
While the human-caused threat of climate change is real and happening today, solutions and hope are all around us. People like you have the power to be a positive force for change.
Read on to see the impact of The Marine Mammal Center’s climate change initiatives and explore helpful resources for taking action, including how to make your voice heard about ocean health issues you care about.
Climate Change Education at the Center
As the world’s largest marine mammal hospital, the Center is uniquely positioned to connect people with nature and inspire positive actions to address climate change. Every patient we care for offers critical clues into ocean health, and we build from our research on marine mammals to educate about climate change and advocate for action.
From visitors at our hospital to students and teachers within our education programs, each year we engage and teach thousands of people about the connection between marine mammals and ocean health threats like climate change.


Supporting Climate Communicators
Despite the spotlight that is often placed on science denial, the reality is that most people in the United States believe climate change is happening. Unfortunately, the majority of us just aren’t talking about it. And the less often we hear about climate change from the people we trust and care about, the less urgency there is to take action at the individual, community and policy levels—the Center’s education experts are working to change this.
With the support of people like you, we provide climate scientists, educators and students around the world with the training and resources needed to help shift the conversation on climate change to be more positive, solutions-focused and community-minded.
Through our Climate Literacy Collaborative, we bring together educators and community activists around collective solutions toward climate change. And as the fiscal sponsor for the National Network for Ocean and Climate Change Interpretation (NNOCCI), one of the largest climate change communication training programs in the world, we are expanding our impact using research-based methods for communicating climate change and environmental justice issues.

Empowering Youth
Above are just a few testimonials from teens who have participated in Youth Crew, the Center’s annual service-learning program for high school students. Every year, high school aged youth volunteer at our hospital for the unique experience of becoming Conservation Ambassadors and acting as education docents for visitors, as well as working hands-on with marine mammal patients alongside our experts.
Youth volunteers are introduced to the science of climate change, scientifically tested communication strategies, and best practices to help visitors of all ages understand their connection to ocean health. Not only do participants practice and hone their skills in climate science and public speaking, but they also serve as powerful change-makers in the community.

Through conversations with these young leaders, thousands of visitors at our hospital learn about the impacts of climate change on marine mammals and how they can reduce their carbon footprint. In addition, many visitors become inspired to commit to climate-action pledges like skipping one meat dish a week; investigating renewable energy for their home, school or business; and supporting the expansion of public transit, bike and walking paths.
The impact of youth volunteers engaging with visitors from around the world has a profound ripple effect for collective climate solutions. In fact, surveyed visitors have shared that not only do they complete their climate-action pledges, but many even expand their individual behaviors into larger community-level actions to lower carbon and methane emissions.
After participating in our Youth Crew program, most teens have also shared their improved confidence in having conversations with others about climate change and their readiness to work toward solutions in their own lives. Year after year, these unique experiences inspire career paths in the field and a lifetime of climate action.
How You Can Take Climate Action Today
As a global leader in ocean health, the Center offers many opportunities to help you have better climate conversations, take actions in your daily life and be a motivator for collective solutions. Explore our climate change resources and activities below to get started today.
Spread the Word
Change begins with conversations, and one of the most important things you can do right now is to talk about climate impacts and solutions. But starting the conversation with family and friends can feel intimidating, even if you care very deeply. Dive into these resources to learn research-based techniques for talking about climate change, tips on mobilizing community action and more.


Take Everyday Actions
From eating sustainably to reducing plastic use to switching to renewable energy, there are many ways you can take action in your daily life. Download these tips to reference later.
Want to find even more ways to help protect our planet? We’ve partnered with GetGreen, a mobile tool that makes it easy to take everyday actions on climate change. Using the app is a fun way to track the estimated carbon impact of hundreds of climate-conscious activities while earning digital rewards. Download the GetGreen app and join the growing community.
Vote and Support Climate Policies
Marine mammals may not be able to vote for their lives, but you can. In addition to talking with others about climate change and taking everyday actions, your voice and actions are vital in the policymaking process.
Due to the spiral of silence around climate change, support for climate action is often underestimated by our elected leaders. By contacting your representatives at the local, state or federal levels, you can let policymakers know that climate change is important to you. Write personalized letters or emails to your representatives urging them to support climate legislation and policies. Find a member of the House here and a member of the Senate here.
Each of us has a responsibility to support leaders who are actively pursuing a better future for people, animals and our shared planet. By voting in this next critical election, you have the power to choose leaders who will prioritize climate action and ocean health.
Visit Vote.org to register to vote, check your registration status, make a voting plan and more. Your voice is important, and your vote is needed.
Not eligible to vote in this election? You can play a crucial role by having conversations about the issues you care about and encouraging family and friends to vote.

Let’s talk about climate change and create a thriving future.
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