Science Communication
Science communication and engagement form the bridge between scientists, stakeholders, policymakers, and the general public. From art installations to legal briefs, op-eds to twitter, some of Dr. Lubchenco's science communication work is highlighted below. She can be found on Twitter @JaneLubchenco.
Above: Jane and Courtney share thoughts about science, art, climate change and coral reefs in "Clay, Coral, and Climate Change: Conserving the Seas through Ceramic Art" in the exhibition catalogue for Fragile Earth, the Naturalist Impulse in Contemporary Art.
Recent Op-eds and Editorials
- Lubchenco, J. Biden should restore the role of science in the U.S. Government. Scientific American, February 2021.
-Lubchenco, Jane. Time to protect the ocean: what is an ‘MPA’ and why do we need them? Blog on World Economic Forum’s Agenda platform. 03 June 2020. Part of WEF’s Virtual Ocean Dialogues.
- Lubchenco, J. and S. D. Gaines. 2019. A New Narrative for the Ocean. Editorial, Science 364 (6444) p. 911
-Lubchenco, J., D. J. Baker, K. D. Sullivan. Weather forecasting should never be political. Op-ed Washington Post, September 9, 2019.
-Bonamici, S. and J. Lubchenco. In the climate crisis, the power of our ocean is too big to ignore. Op-Ed in The Hill, June 8, 2019.
-Lubchenco, J. The Senate Should Reject Trump’s NOAA Nominee. op-ed, New York Times. May 1, 2019.
- Lubchenco, J. Environmental science in a post-truth world. 2017. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 15(1):3.
“Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment Classic Paper = Most Talked About Article in 2017”
-Lubchenco, J. and M. Damanaki. Save the Blue Fin Tuna. Op-ed in New York Times, Dec 4, 2016. http://nyti.ms/2h3KXT4
- Lubchenco, J. and B. Pettinger. With America’s fisheries rebounding, we can’t turn back. Op-ed in The Oregonian, Nov 26, 2016.
- Lubchenco, J. Biden should restore the role of science in the U.S. Government. Scientific American, February 2021.
-Lubchenco, Jane. Time to protect the ocean: what is an ‘MPA’ and why do we need them? Blog on World Economic Forum’s Agenda platform. 03 June 2020. Part of WEF’s Virtual Ocean Dialogues.
- Lubchenco, J. and S. D. Gaines. 2019. A New Narrative for the Ocean. Editorial, Science 364 (6444) p. 911
-Lubchenco, J., D. J. Baker, K. D. Sullivan. Weather forecasting should never be political. Op-ed Washington Post, September 9, 2019.
-Bonamici, S. and J. Lubchenco. In the climate crisis, the power of our ocean is too big to ignore. Op-Ed in The Hill, June 8, 2019.
-Lubchenco, J. The Senate Should Reject Trump’s NOAA Nominee. op-ed, New York Times. May 1, 2019.
- Lubchenco, J. Environmental science in a post-truth world. 2017. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 15(1):3.
“Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment Classic Paper = Most Talked About Article in 2017”
-Lubchenco, J. and M. Damanaki. Save the Blue Fin Tuna. Op-ed in New York Times, Dec 4, 2016. http://nyti.ms/2h3KXT4
- Lubchenco, J. and B. Pettinger. With America’s fisheries rebounding, we can’t turn back. Op-ed in The Oregonian, Nov 26, 2016.
Recent, Selected, Public Presentations
2021
-Marine Regions Forum: Ocean Governance and COVID-19 – Building resilience for marine region “Sustainable and equitable blue recovery to the COVID-19 crisis’
-Opportunities for Sustainable Ocean Action in the U.S., U.S. launch of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy reports
2020
-The Ocean and Climate Change, global webinar on the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere and 2 High Level Panel reports on the ocean and climate change
-Seas the Day: Science driving ocean and climate solutions, AAAS Topical Lecture, Seattle
-Convention on Biological Diversity secretariat and leadership, briefing on The MPA Guide
-World Economic Forum and Friends of Ocean Action’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit, Ocean and Community Resilience: Resilient Ocean, Resilient People
-Pathways to a Sustainable Future: a New Narrative for the Ocean, Yale Environmental Dialogue
-Climate Change, Human Health, and The Ocean, National Academy of Medicine Annual Meeting plenary webinar
-Ocean Climate Solutions Bill – press conference convened by the U.S. House of Representatives;
-Western Society of Naturalists plenary address at annual meeting: ‘The Intersecting Worlds of Personal, Public, and Planetary Health’
-U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee hearing on HR 8632, the Ocean-based Climate Solutions Bill, invited testimony
2019
-Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Lecture, Oregon State University, ‘Balancing Conservation and Sustainable Use: Science and Policy’
-How Does a Marine Biologist Speak to a President? University of Antwerp Master Class
-UN Decade of Ocean Science, Copenhagen, Denmark;
-Oregon State University 150th Commencement Address, ‘To Navigate an Uncertain Future, Embrace Change, Nurture People and the Planet, and Take Charge’, Corvallis, OR
-The Ocean as a Solution to Climate Change, Nature Hub at the UN General Assembly, New York
-Blue Leaders’ Summit (Western Hemisphere release of the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and the Cryosphere, New York
-The Climate-Ocean Nexus, pre-Conference of the Parties (COP) #25 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, San José, Costa Rica
2021
-Marine Regions Forum: Ocean Governance and COVID-19 – Building resilience for marine region “Sustainable and equitable blue recovery to the COVID-19 crisis’
-Opportunities for Sustainable Ocean Action in the U.S., U.S. launch of the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy reports
2020
-The Ocean and Climate Change, global webinar on the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere and 2 High Level Panel reports on the ocean and climate change
-Seas the Day: Science driving ocean and climate solutions, AAAS Topical Lecture, Seattle
-Convention on Biological Diversity secretariat and leadership, briefing on The MPA Guide
-World Economic Forum and Friends of Ocean Action’s Sustainable Development Impact Summit, Ocean and Community Resilience: Resilient Ocean, Resilient People
-Pathways to a Sustainable Future: a New Narrative for the Ocean, Yale Environmental Dialogue
-Climate Change, Human Health, and The Ocean, National Academy of Medicine Annual Meeting plenary webinar
-Ocean Climate Solutions Bill – press conference convened by the U.S. House of Representatives;
-Western Society of Naturalists plenary address at annual meeting: ‘The Intersecting Worlds of Personal, Public, and Planetary Health’
-U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee hearing on HR 8632, the Ocean-based Climate Solutions Bill, invited testimony
2019
-Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Lecture, Oregon State University, ‘Balancing Conservation and Sustainable Use: Science and Policy’
-How Does a Marine Biologist Speak to a President? University of Antwerp Master Class
-UN Decade of Ocean Science, Copenhagen, Denmark;
-Oregon State University 150th Commencement Address, ‘To Navigate an Uncertain Future, Embrace Change, Nurture People and the Planet, and Take Charge’, Corvallis, OR
-The Ocean as a Solution to Climate Change, Nature Hub at the UN General Assembly, New York
-Blue Leaders’ Summit (Western Hemisphere release of the IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and the Cryosphere, New York
-The Climate-Ocean Nexus, pre-Conference of the Parties (COP) #25 to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, San José, Costa Rica
Amicus Briefs
Lubchenco, J. and 29 other authors. 2019, in support of appellees in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in the case of Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, et al. (Plaintiffs – Appellants) v. Wilbur Ross, et al. (Defendants – Appellees) and Natural Resources Defense Council et al. (Intervenors for Defendants-Appellees). The brief outlined the importance of upholding the 2016 designation of the 4,913 sq mi Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument by President Obama under the Antiquities Act. This rich marine habitat is home to many unique species of deep sea corals. The steep walls of the marine canyons circulate nutrient rich waters, providing food, and shelter for many fishes, invertebrates, and mammals. The area partially encompassed by the National Monument provides important habitat for several vulnerable whale species, including sperm, fin, and sei whales. The rich habitats of these submarine canyons sustain a number of commercially fished species, including finfishes and tuna. More information about the Monument can be found on NOAA's webpage.
For additional information about the brief, see:
- DC Court of Appeals upholds designation of underwater canyon system as Marine National Monument- Jessiva Lusamba, Jurist. December 30, 2019.
- Court Opinion, December 27, 2019.
Other Amicus Briefs coauthored by Dr. Lubchenco:
- Parenteau, P., K. Caldeira and J. Lubchenco. Brief of Amicus Curiae Scientists in support of plaintiff Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. EPA et al., Case No. 2:13-cv-01866JLR filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle, regarding failure of EPA to list coastal waters of Washington and Oregon as impaired in light of evidence of impairment due to ocean acidification. 2014.
-Cairns, J. Jr., H. L. Carson, J. M. Diamond, P.R. Ehrlich, T. Eisner, S. J. Gould, D. H. Janzen, J. Lubchenco, E. Mayer, C.D. Michener, G. H. Orians, S. L. Pimm, D. Simberloff, J. W. Terbourgh, M.J. West-Eberhard, E.O. Wilson. Brief of Amicus Curiae scientists in support of petitioner USA filed February 21, for U.S.
- Parenteau, P., K. Caldeira and J. Lubchenco. Brief of Amicus Curiae Scientists in support of plaintiff Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. EPA et al., Case No. 2:13-cv-01866JLR filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle, regarding failure of EPA to list coastal waters of Washington and Oregon as impaired in light of evidence of impairment due to ocean acidification. 2014.
-Cairns, J. Jr., H. L. Carson, J. M. Diamond, P.R. Ehrlich, T. Eisner, S. J. Gould, D. H. Janzen, J. Lubchenco, E. Mayer, C.D. Michener, G. H. Orians, S. L. Pimm, D. Simberloff, J. W. Terbourgh, M.J. West-Eberhard, E.O. Wilson. Brief of Amicus Curiae scientists in support of petitioner USA filed February 21, for U.S. Supreme Court Case No. 94-859: Bruce Babbitt, et al., (Petitioners) v. Sweet Home Chapter of Communities for a Great Oregon et al. (Respondents). 1995.
Lubchenco, J. and 29 other authors. 2019, in support of appellees in the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in the case of Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association, et al. (Plaintiffs – Appellants) v. Wilbur Ross, et al. (Defendants – Appellees) and Natural Resources Defense Council et al. (Intervenors for Defendants-Appellees). The brief outlined the importance of upholding the 2016 designation of the 4,913 sq mi Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument by President Obama under the Antiquities Act. This rich marine habitat is home to many unique species of deep sea corals. The steep walls of the marine canyons circulate nutrient rich waters, providing food, and shelter for many fishes, invertebrates, and mammals. The area partially encompassed by the National Monument provides important habitat for several vulnerable whale species, including sperm, fin, and sei whales. The rich habitats of these submarine canyons sustain a number of commercially fished species, including finfishes and tuna. More information about the Monument can be found on NOAA's webpage.
For additional information about the brief, see:
- DC Court of Appeals upholds designation of underwater canyon system as Marine National Monument- Jessiva Lusamba, Jurist. December 30, 2019.
- Court Opinion, December 27, 2019.
Other Amicus Briefs coauthored by Dr. Lubchenco:
- Parenteau, P., K. Caldeira and J. Lubchenco. Brief of Amicus Curiae Scientists in support of plaintiff Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. EPA et al., Case No. 2:13-cv-01866JLR filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle, regarding failure of EPA to list coastal waters of Washington and Oregon as impaired in light of evidence of impairment due to ocean acidification. 2014.
-Cairns, J. Jr., H. L. Carson, J. M. Diamond, P.R. Ehrlich, T. Eisner, S. J. Gould, D. H. Janzen, J. Lubchenco, E. Mayer, C.D. Michener, G. H. Orians, S. L. Pimm, D. Simberloff, J. W. Terbourgh, M.J. West-Eberhard, E.O. Wilson. Brief of Amicus Curiae scientists in support of petitioner USA filed February 21, for U.S.
- Parenteau, P., K. Caldeira and J. Lubchenco. Brief of Amicus Curiae Scientists in support of plaintiff Center for Biological Diversity v. U.S. EPA et al., Case No. 2:13-cv-01866JLR filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle, regarding failure of EPA to list coastal waters of Washington and Oregon as impaired in light of evidence of impairment due to ocean acidification. 2014.
-Cairns, J. Jr., H. L. Carson, J. M. Diamond, P.R. Ehrlich, T. Eisner, S. J. Gould, D. H. Janzen, J. Lubchenco, E. Mayer, C.D. Michener, G. H. Orians, S. L. Pimm, D. Simberloff, J. W. Terbourgh, M.J. West-Eberhard, E.O. Wilson. Brief of Amicus Curiae scientists in support of petitioner USA filed February 21, for U.S. Supreme Court Case No. 94-859: Bruce Babbitt, et al., (Petitioners) v. Sweet Home Chapter of Communities for a Great Oregon et al. (Respondents). 1995.
Graphic Guide to Marine Protected Areas
The new Graphic Guide to Marine Protected Areas, a joint product of Oregon State University, the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, the Marine Conservation Institute, the National Geographic Society, and the UN Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center, and led by Dr. Lubchenco, provides an easy-to-understand explanation of the importance of effective marine protection. It includes information about important metrics to measure and predict the outcomes of MPAs at varying levels of protection and stages of establishment, from "minimally" to "fully" protected.
For more information about the MPA Guide, see: https://oursharedseas.com/oss_downloads/the-mpa-guide/
The new Graphic Guide to Marine Protected Areas, a joint product of Oregon State University, the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, the Marine Conservation Institute, the National Geographic Society, and the UN Environment Program World Conservation Monitoring Center, and led by Dr. Lubchenco, provides an easy-to-understand explanation of the importance of effective marine protection. It includes information about important metrics to measure and predict the outcomes of MPAs at varying levels of protection and stages of establishment, from "minimally" to "fully" protected.
For more information about the MPA Guide, see: https://oursharedseas.com/oss_downloads/the-mpa-guide/
Ocean Panel Report
In 2020, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (HLP) published a new report on ocean solutions to global challenges- "Ocean Solutions that Benefit People, Nature, and the Economy". The report outlines the role of a healthy ocean in fighting climate change, improving food security, and providing renewable energy sources. Informed by 19 white- in this case, blue- papers commissioned by the Ocean panel, the HLP report outlines a "new ocean narrative"--where the ocean is neither "too big to fail" nor "too big to fix" but is rather "too big to ignore". It is a key source of solutions and the "health, wealth, and well-being of the world and its people depend on the ocean" (HLP executive summary, 1). The HLP report suggests a path forward to a sustainable ocean economy and emphasizes the power of ocean-based solutions. Dr. Lubchenco is a key contributor to the Panel, blue papers, and the Report.
To download the report and executive summary: oceanpanel.org/ocean-action/people-nature-economy-report.html
In 2020, the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy (HLP) published a new report on ocean solutions to global challenges- "Ocean Solutions that Benefit People, Nature, and the Economy". The report outlines the role of a healthy ocean in fighting climate change, improving food security, and providing renewable energy sources. Informed by 19 white- in this case, blue- papers commissioned by the Ocean panel, the HLP report outlines a "new ocean narrative"--where the ocean is neither "too big to fail" nor "too big to fix" but is rather "too big to ignore". It is a key source of solutions and the "health, wealth, and well-being of the world and its people depend on the ocean" (HLP executive summary, 1). The HLP report suggests a path forward to a sustainable ocean economy and emphasizes the power of ocean-based solutions. Dr. Lubchenco is a key contributor to the Panel, blue papers, and the Report.
To download the report and executive summary: oceanpanel.org/ocean-action/people-nature-economy-report.html