Planning Transitions: SEAs, Climate Change, and Energy Transitions in the Ocean

Oceans have been gaining attention as a solution to climate change, including as sites of renewable energy development. Thus, oceans are becoming increasingly important sites of the energy transitions necessary for countries to meet climate change commitments. However, oil remains deeply entrenched in many places, often making it difficult to envision and enact different energy futures. This paper addresses the potential of strategic environmetal assessments (SEAs) to play a role in ocean-based energy transitions, specifically exploring whether they provide the information needed to support decisions related to energy transitions. By drawing on 69 offshore energy-related SEAs done in 11 countries between 2000 and 2021, this paper takes a broad view of ocean energy SEAs across time and space. In particular, we explore whether these SEAs consider climate change, include the broader context of climate goals, and assess alternatives. Findings varied by jurisdiction but in many cases, SEAs were done in ways that limited their potential to contribute to energy transition decisions. This is important because countries around the world have climate commitments and SEAs represent an opportunity - specifically one that uses existing and familiar tools - to help with long term planning around offshore energy that can help meet these commitments.