State Action Planning: Learning from Virginia’s Ocean Plan and Delaware’s Climate Action Plan

Delaware Climate Action Plan:

Climate change is already impacting Delaware, and residents are calling for action. The 2025 Delaware Climate Action Plan responds with a practical roadmap to reduce emissions, protect communities, and strengthen resilience in the First State. For the first time, the plan includes targeted strategies to address coastal and ocean acidification, an emerging threat to marine ecosystems and Delaware’s seafood industry. This presentation will explore key actions in the plan designed to ensure Delaware’s waters and coastal communities thrive in a changing climate, from expanding acidification monitoring and advancing research to developing an ocean acidification action plan.

Virginia Ocean Plan:

Over the past three years, Virginia has worked to develop the Commonwealth’s first Ocean Plan, aimed at improving coordination, communication, and identification of needs related to ocean uses and resources. Through the extensive stakeholder engagement that informed the plan’s development, ocean and coastal acidification emerged as a key area of concern, given its potential impacts on ecosystems as well as fisheries and aquaculture. In this talk, Will Isenberg will provide an overview of the ocean planning process, highlight the draft recommendation to develop an ocean and coastal acidification action plan, and discuss related efforts that are helping to inform future planning.