Sequestering All That CO2 … In Macroalgae

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Undoubtedly, we have to set up extra clear, renewable vitality and get extra electrical automobiles on the street with the intention to cease heating up the Earth. Nonetheless, we’d like greater than that now as a result of we’ve already added too many greenhouse gases to the environment. Everyone knows that, nevertheless it’s arduous 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, not too long ago reached out to me on this matter. “I’ve usually learn the nice details about carbon sinks in CleanTechnica,” he wrote. “Thus far, 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 Vitality 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 just some a long time, maybe bringing the Earth again to beneath 1°C above pre-industrial ranges.” Attention-grabbing. To look into it and study extra, he directed me to their new report, Cooling our planet with ocean farming: CO? elimination because the third pillar of local weather safety.

“Seaweeds develop in a short time, particularly when equipped with nutrient-rich deep water. Within the huge, at the moment unused subtropical gyres, massive seaweed farms may be created that completely take away CO? and create new marine habitats,” the report summarizes. “The biomass produced can change fossil fuels and fossil gasoline based mostly uncooked supplies in addition to enhance world meals safety. This creates a sustainable marine economic system — with alternatives particularly for international locations within the International 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 unwanted side effects, issues, and impracticalities. However is “ocean farming” like this the important thing answer? Can this be a sustainable, efficient, and secure path ahead?

I encourage you to dive into the full coverage paper.