Sequestering All That CO2 … In Macroalgae

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No doubt, we have to set up extra clear, renewable vitality and get extra electrical automobiles on the street with a view to cease heating up the Earth. Nonetheless, we want greater than that now as a result of we’ve already added too many greenhouse gases to the environment. Everyone knows that, however it’s exhausting to know what to do about it. On that word…

Hans-Josef Fell, Member of the German Parliament from 1998–2013, who introduced at a CleanTechnica convention in Germany a number of years in the past, just lately reached out to me on this matter. “I’ve usually learn the great details about carbon sinks in CleanTechnica,” he wrote. “Up to now, nobody has been capable of present any actual steering on tips on how to clear the environment of 1700 Gt of CO2 to get beneath the planetary restrict of 350 ppm. However adhering to the planetary restrict is a basic prerequisite for stopping human civilization from perishing from the warming of the environment and oceans.” Certainly.

“We (the Power Watch Group) have now compiled the analysis outcomes from seaweed analysis and located that floating macroalgae can take away these enormous quantities of carbon in only a few many years, maybe bringing the Earth again to beneath 1°C above pre-industrial ranges.” Fascinating. To look into it and study extra, he directed me to their new report, Cooling our planet with ocean farming: CO₂ elimination because the third pillar of local weather safety.

“Seaweeds develop in a short time, particularly when provided with nutrient-rich deep water. Within the huge, presently unused subtropical gyres, massive seaweed farms will be created that completely take away CO₂ and create new marine habitats,” the report summarizes. “The biomass produced can change fossil fuels and fossil gas based mostly uncooked supplies in addition to improve world meals safety. This creates a sustainable marine financial system — with alternatives particularly for nations within the World South and for funding massive scale carbon elimination.”

All of it sounds nice. It’s an necessary problem that, frankly, I feel most of us are scared to even take into consideration. The problem of safely and effectively eradicating CO2 from the environment is large, with most strategies carrying alongside a great deal of unintended effects, issues, and impracticalities. However is “ocean farming” like this the important thing resolution? Can this be a sustainable, efficient, and secure path ahead?

I encourage you to dive into the full coverage paper.