Protecting the future of our ocean

Dr Whitney Johnston is often asked why a tech company is focused on protecting the future of our ocean. But she likes this question; for her, it highlights “the distance we need to go.”

Dr Johnston is Salesforce’s first Director of Ocean Sustainability, a role created as part of the technology company’s work to respond to the challenges of climate change and support nature-based solutions. Johnston is driven to bring the importance of ocean health into the corporate landscape.

It reflects a wider change among the United States’ largest companies as they begin to respond to the climate emergency. In 2020, the number of chief sustainability officers (CSOs) across Fortune 500 companies rose to 95, from just 29 in 2011, suggesting businesses are feeling the pressure to take on more responsible practices in the face of this crisis.

But Salesforce, which created its Ocean Sustainability Program in 2021, is unique in its approach in specifically recognizing the importance of ocean health when it comes to efforts to minimize the impacts of climate change.

“We cannot tackle the climate crisis with action on land alone while we destroy the ocean, one of the heroes in this climate crisis,” says Johnston. She further adds that “businesses need to consider ocean health and how their own activities and supply chains impact the ocean.”

The climate emergency is one of the most urgent issues facing humanity today, and it is imperative that big business plays a part in climate mitigation and protecting our precious ecosystems.  

As much as a fifth of the emissions cuts needed to limit global heating to 1.5C could come from the ocean, according to the High Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy – but oceans are among the most threatened ecosystems on the planet.

These impacts include rising seas, threatened fish stocks, melting sea ice, and dying coral reefs, as well as damage to communities from lost property, livelihoods, and cultural assets. With at least 14 million tonnes of plastic ending up in the world’s ocean every year,  the compounding effects of this pollution on ocean species, food safety, and ocean health exacerbates the impact already felt due to global heating.

“Salesforce recognizes that we're in a climate emergency and that the ocean is core to any complete climate action plan,” says Johnston. “We rely on ocean health for our wellbeing, and the wellbeing of our stakeholders – from our customers to our employees and their families and communities. And of course, the planet is a stakeholder as well.”

Research has found that listed companies on the stock market are responsible for  40% of all climate warming emissions. Faster corporate action is vital to keep temperature rise below the 1.5C benchmark set out by the Paris Agreement, ultimately ensuring we avoid catastrophic climate change.

The rising demand for CSOs is, in part, a response to this need, as a route for businesses to engage in climate action, set science-based targets, and meet net zero goals. “I think companies are recognizing that the degradation to our ecosystems and to our planet, really impacts the wellbeing of their customers and employees, and impacts their business,” says Johnston.

She adds that companies now see that “a sustainable business is a business that is relevant to future generations, and that the general public, their customers, their stakeholders, expect them to take responsibility.”

In February this year, Salesforce officially announced sustainability as a core company value, joining its values of trust, customer success, innovation, and equality. Salesforce has net zero residual emissions, reached 100% renewable energy for its global operations, and has been voluntarily reporting on its greenhouse gas emissions since 2011.

This all highlights the company-wide approach to sustainability, Johnston says. “Everyone is a chief sustainability officer, it’s part of our vision.”

Central to Johnston’s objective is to empower others across the business to drive sustainability – from philanthropy, and purchasing, to policy and technology. She developed Salesforce’s Ocean Sustainability Program based on three opportunity areas for improving ocean health: Nature, Clean, and Nourish. “Nature” represents the need to protect and restore ecosystems.”Clean” represents the need to reduce pollution. ”Nourish” represents the opportunity to more sustainably source food from the oceans.

“In order to be sustainable at scale, you need to build a sustainability program that’s integrated into your business,” she says. “Think beyond your four walls.”

Part of this program is Salesforce’s commitment to purchasing 1 million tonnes of high quality blue carbon credits to unlock capital for ecosystem protection and restoration. “What we’re really trying to do is catalyze other commitments and catalyze coordination across the market,” Johnston says.

Indeed, the blue carbon market is growing rapidly. Blue carbon refers to the CO2 sequestered and stored in coastal and marine ecosystems, such as mangroves, salt marshes, and sea grass – three major carbon stores that are some of the most threatened in the world. These ecosystems can store up to five times more carbon than terrestrial forests per hectare, so rapidly scaling up blue carbon projects is seen as essential to meeting the goals of the Paris Climate agreement.

There are huge opportunities in the blue carbon market as global demand for carbon credits is projected to be worth up to $700 billion by 2030.

“There’s high demand for blue carbon credits because they’re high quality for carbon capture, biodiversity, and livelihoods,” says Johnston.  Mangroves have been estimated to prevent more than $65 billion in property damages and reduce flood risk to some 15 million people every year, with overall ecosystem service benefits estimated to fall between $462 billion and $798 billion per year.

In fact, economic analysis shows that the benefits of mangrove restoration and conservation could outweigh the costs by 3:1. She adds that protecting and restoring blue carbon ecosystems opens opportunities for local communities to generate income through activities such as sustainable fishing or beekeeping. “When communities restore or protect their ecosystem, that ecosystem is providing a source of food and a source of livelihood, and is also helping to  protect that community from storms and flooding. It can be a very cost-effective way to protect communities,” she says, pointing to the opportunities of restoration that go beyond development of physical infrastructure.

The growth of blue carbon markets has also precipitated an increase in action on blue carbon taking place at the national level. Countries from Kenya to Australia are now including it in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the Paris Agreement. “Blue carbon has been integrated more and more into country-level climate action plans and recognised as a major solution in action plans for mitigation or adaptation,” Johnston says.

But as businesses continue to look towards blue carbon as a way to offset emissions, it’s vital that consistent standards are maintained and investments are made in high quality projects. As such, in April Salesforce launched a new initiative along with leading environmental organizations including the World Economic Forum’s Friends of Ocean Action, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA), Conservation International, The Nature Conservancy, and the Meridian Institute, to support the stakeholder process.

“That's why we're working to develop a set of high quality blue carbon market principles, and really trying to arrive at a shared definition that others can adopt and implement so that they can make investments with confidence. We're hoping that these carbon market principles will both help to maintain the highest integrity and unlock the flow of capital and the systems that are needed.”

Ultimately, when working towards global climate goals, we must include ocean-based solutions. Action needs to come from all sides. As Salesforce continues to lead on sustainability, roles like Dr. Johnston's also act as a call to action for other corporations to take meaningful action around ocean sustainability and restoration.