Marine Conservation Sci Pol

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

The ocean provides vital services for everyone, including food, jobs, recreation, protection from storms, medicine, and even a good chunk of the oxygen we breathe. But the ocean, and many of the beloved wild animals that live there, face serious conservation challenges, from threats including overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and climate change. Fortunately, all of these problems have data-driven evidence-based solutions backed by science, but many of those solutions are not well-known among the well-intentioned public, and many of the solutions that the public have heard about are ineffective at best. In this course, we'll discuss the science and policy of how to save the ocean, and how to spot popular solutions that are not supported by scientific evidence. We'll use an integrative and interdisciplinary lens bringing together science, law, and the humanities, using real-world examples from Washington, DC and beyond. Topics discussed will include sustainable seafood, ocean plastic pollution, deep sea mining, marine protected areas, endangered species conservation, and much more.