On May 7, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) delivered a stark warning on the Senate floor, urging lawmakers to confront the growing threats that climate change and plastic pollution pose to marine ecosystems and global fisheries.
Citing alarming data, Whitehouse noted that during the ten minutes of his speech, the oceans would absorb the heat equivalent of 4,000 Hiroshima-sized explosions. He linked this warming to increasingly extreme ocean temperatures—such as those recently recorded off the Florida Keys—rising sea levels, the collapse of key fisheries, and widespread coral bleaching. “Over 80% of the world’s coral reefs were impacted during the last major ocean heating event,” he said, attributing the damage to continued fossil fuel emissions.
Whitehouse’s comments followed his recent participation in the tenth annual Our Ocean Conference in Busan, South Korea, where he served as the sole representative of the U.S. government. The conference convened international leaders and stakeholders to address challenges facing the world’s oceans, from climate impacts to plastic waste.
Highlighting the lack of U.S. federal presence, Whitehouse criticized the Trump administration for not sending executive branch officials to the event. He characterized the administration’s approach as aligned with fossil fuel interests and noted its rollback of climate-related spending and initiatives.
For stakeholders across the marine, environmental, and energy sectors, Whitehouse’s remarks underscore growing tensions in U.S. climate policy and the need for sustained engagement in international conservation efforts.