Books & Writing

What If We Get It Right?

This provocative and joyous book maps an inspiring landscape of possible climate futures.

Science & Nature

A collection of the best science and nature articles written in 2021, selected me, Ayana.

All We Can Save

Truth, courage, and solutions for the climate crisis. Co-edited with Katharine K. Wilkinson.

PURCHASE HERE

Recent Publications

Select recent publications are here, followed by a full list of opeds, scientific articles, reports, and blog posts.

Contributing essayist to:

Be Tenacious on Behalf of Life on Earth (Middlebury College commencement speech), TIME, 2023.
Our Hero: Trying to Address the Climate Crisis Without the Ocean Will Not Work, Patagonia, 2023.
These Black Icons Have a Novel Idea to Save the Ocean, TIME, 2023.
Remembering the Ocean, in The Climate Book, created by Greta Thunberg, 2023.
Why our secret weapon against the climate crisis could be humour, co-authored with Adam McKay. The Guardian, 2022.
What We All Can Do To Save The Planet, with Billie Eilish, Nike’s Talking Trash series, 2021.
What I Know About the Ocean – We Need Ocean Justice, excerpted from the anthology Black Futures, Sierra, 2020.
We Can't Solve the Climate Crisis Unless Black Lives Matter, TIME, 2020.
I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet. Washington Post, 2020.
The Concrete Jungle Has 578 Miles of Shoreline at Risk, The New York Times, 2019.
Our Oceans Brim With Climate Solutions. We Need a Blue New Deal, Washington Post, 2019.

Articles & Editorials

TIME, Be Tenacious on Behalf of Life on Earth (Middlebury commencement speech), 2023
Patagonia, Our Hero: Trying to Address the Climate Crisis Without the Ocean Will Not Work, 2023
TIME, These Black Icons Have a Novel Idea to Save the Ocean, 2023
Atmos, After COP 27, a Plea—and a Pathway—for Urgent Corporate Action, 2022
The Grio, Ocean justice can help empower communities of color on the frontlines of the climate crisis, co-authored with Colette Pichon Battle, Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš, Miriam Goldstein, and Jean Flemma, 2022.
The Guardian, Why our secret weapon against the climate crisis could be humour, co-authored with Adam McKay, 2022.
Bloomberg (syndicated in The Seattle Times, Hawaii Tribune Herald, and Lexington Herald-Leader), Congress Must Make Biden’s Vision for the Oceans Come True, 2021.
Boston Globe, The ocean’s heroic potential could be realized under Biden, co-authored with Jean Flemma and Miriam Goldstein, 2020.
Sierra, We Need Ocean Justice, An excerpt from the anthology "Black Futures,” 2020.
TIME, We Can't Solve the Climate Crisis Unless Black Lives Matter, 2020.
Washington Post, I’m a black climate expert. Racism derails our efforts to save the planet, 2020.
HEATED, The cutting room floor, 2020.
Bloomberg Green, The 41 Things Biden Should Do First on Climate Change, section co-authored with Jean Flemma, 2020.
TED, List: 15 essential reads for the climate crisis, 2020.
Medium, Elizabeth Warren is the Climate President We Need, 2020.
Daily News, Hakeem Jeffries needs to lead on climate change, 2020.
Washington Post, Our Oceans Brim With Climate Solutions. We Need a Blue New Deal, 2019.
The New York Times, The Concrete Jungle Has 578 Miles of Shoreline at Risk, 2019.
Shadow and Act, Black Girl Magic! How a Black Ariel Can Help Us Save the Ocean, 2019.
Grist, The Big Blue Gap in the Green New Deal, co-authored with Chad Nelsen and Bren Smith, 2019.
The Hill, Young Voters and Voters of Color are Key to Climate Policy, 2018.
Huffington Post, Our Health Depends On The Health Of The Ocean — And The Ocean Is Sick, co-authored with Jennifer Panlilio, 2018.
Los Angeles Times, What the Trump administration doesn’t understand about ocean conservation, co-authored with Jeff Orlowski, 2018.
The Guardian, The Key to Halting Climate Change: Admit We Can’t Save Everything, 2016.
Huffington Post, How Barbuda Enacted One of the World’s Most Successful Ocean Conservation Efforts, 2015.
Virgin Unite, Parrotfish: The Fish that Can Save Coral Reefs, 2014.
Antigua Observer, Guest Opinion, co-authored with Arthur Nibbs upon passage of new ocean laws in Barbuda, 2014.
The New York Times, We Can Save the Caribbean’s Coral Reefs, co-authored with Jeremy Jackson, 2014.

Scientific
Articles

Ayana’s Google Scholar page is here.

Johnson AE, McClintock WJ, Burton O, Burton W, Estep A, Mengerink K, Porter R, and Tate S. 2020. Ocean zoning in Barbuda: A social, ecological, geographic, and legal case study. Marine Policy, 113.
Flower J et al. 2020. Marine spatial planning on the Caribbean island of Montserrat: lessons for data-limited small islands. Conservation Science and Practice.
Lovell S, Johnson AE, Ramdeen R, and McClenachan L. 2018. Shifted baselines and the policy placebo effect in conservation. Oryx, 1-9.
Ruttenberg B, Caselle JE, Estep AJ, Johnson AE, Marhaver KL, et al. 2018. Ecological assessment of the marine ecosystems of Barbuda, West Indies: Using rapid scientific assessment to inform ocean zoning and fisheries management. PLoS ONE, 13(1).
Hind EJ, Alexander SM, Green SJ, Kritzer JP, Sweet MJ, Johnson AE, Amargós FP, Smith NS and Peterson AM. 2015. Fostering effective international collaboration for marine science in small island states. Frontiers in Marine Science, 2: 86.
Johnson AE, and Jackson JBC. 2015. Fisher and diver perceptions of coral reef degradation and implications for sustainable management. Global Ecology and Conservation, 3: 890-899.
Jacquet J, Estes J, Jackson J, Johnson AE, Knowlton, N, McClenachan L, Pauly D, and Sala E. 2015. Ocean calamities: Hyped litany or legitimate concern? BioScience, 65(8): 745-746.
Johnson AE and Saunders D. 2014. Time preferences and the management of coral reef fisheries. Ecological Economics, 100: 130-139.
Johnson AE, Cinner J, Hardt M, Jacquet J, McClanahan T, and Sanchirico J. 2013. Trends current understanding and future research priorities for artisanal coral reef fisheries research. Fish and Fisheries, 14(3): 281-292.
Jacquet J, Boyd I, Carlton JT, Fox H, Johnson AE, Mee L, Roman J, Spalding M, and Sutherland WJ. 2011. Scanning the oceans for solutions. Solutions, 2(1): 46-55.
Johnson, AE. 2010. Reducing bycatch in coral reef trap fisheries: escape gaps as a step towards sustainability. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 415: 201-209.
West J, Julius S, Kareiva P, Lawler JJ, Enquist C, Johnson AE et al. 2009. Natural resources and climate change: a synthetic review of concepts and approaches for management adaptation. Environmental Management, 44(6): 1001-1011.

Scientific
& Policy Reports

All Urban Ocean Lab publications are here.

Climate Readiness Framework for Coastal Cities, Urban Ocean Lab, 2024.
Climate-driven Relocation for Coastal Cities: Principles & Recommendations, Urban Ocean Lab, 2024.
Case Studies to Advance Regenerative Ocean Farming, Urban Ocean Lab, 2024.
By the Numbers: Definition, Demographics, and Climate Risks of Coastal Cities, Urban Ocean Lab, 2022.
Advancing Offshore Wind Energy in the U.S., co-authored with Teresa R. Christopher, Megan Davis, Jean Flemma, and Maggie Thomas, Urban Ocean Lab, Evergreen Collaborative, Data for Progress, 2020.

A Green Stimulus to Rebuild Our Economy, co-authored with Johanna Bozuwa, J. Mijin Cha, Daniel Aldana Cohen, Billy Fleming, Jim Goodman, Daniel M Kammen, Julian Brave NoiseCat, Mark Paul, Raj Patel, and Thea Riofrancos, 2020.
Blue New Deal plan, Warren for President, 2019.
Policy Memo: Seafood, Blue Jobs and the Green New Deal. Co-authored with Bren Smith and Johnny Bowman, Data for Progress, 2019.
Status and Trends of Caribbean Coral Reefs: 1970-2012. Jackson JBC, Donovan MK, Cramer KL, Lam VV (editors). Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. 2014.
PhD Dissertation: Fish, Fishing, Diving, and the Management of Coral Reefs. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD,
2011.
The fishery value of coral reefs in Bonaire. Co-authored with Stijn Schep, Paul van Beukering P, Ester Wolfs. 2012.
Preliminary review of adaptation options for climate-sensitive ecosystems and resources. In: Julius SH, West JM (editors). US Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 873 pp. U.S. Climate Change Science Program, 2008.