The ocean as a solution to climate change

Jay OwenEarth Systems Science

“Ethical Markets will follow this initiative and expects that our reports on the potential of saltwater agriculture and farming sea vegetables will expand our current global food supply which is perilously teetering on the planet’s 3% of freshwater.  Salt-loving food plants (halophytes) e.g. quinoa, China’s salt-tolerant rice, salicornia and other foods offer better human nutrition and still thrive in 22 countries, requiring no fertilizers or pesticides.  See our annual Green Transition Scoreboard® reports at www.ethicalmarkets.com  and our companion TV program “ Investing in Saltwater Agriculture: The Next Big Thing“ with NASA Chief Scientist Dennis Bushnell.

~Hazel Henderson, Editor“

 

Weary delegates to last week’s COP25 climate talks have arrived back home to digest the outcome for ocean sustainability and the blue economy. The event featured over 100 side events with many focused on the opportunities for ocean-based solutions to climate change, in particular, restoring ecosystems including mangrove forests and seagrass meadows that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Measures like these are badly needed to strengthen the carbon reduction plans that countries must submit in 2020 under the Paris Agreement. The World Ocean Initiative covered COP25 as it kicked off in Madrid and as it entered it entered its final stages. Further analysis will follow.

 

The transition to a low-carbon economy will require huge volumes of metals such as nickel and copper to build millions of electric vehicles and wind turbines. Deep-sea mining promises to supply these metals at a much lower environmental cost than land-based mining. We speak to mining companies, environmentalists and the regulator to assess the pros and cons of this controversial sector of the blue economy.

 

With best regards,

Martin Koehring

Head, World Ocean Initiative

The Economist Group

 

Thought starter

Is deep-sea mining part of the blue economy?

The need for low-carbon technologies such as electric vehicles and wind turbines is driving demand for metals used in batteries and wiring. The World Ocean Initiative finds out whether it could be more sustainable to get these resources from the seabed than terrestrial mines.

 

 

Attend the World Ocean Summit 2020

What do scientists want from policymakers? Learn from 60+ ocean experts including:

 

Danny Faure

President

Republic of Seychelles

Tommy E.

Remengesau, Jr

President

Palau

Naoko Ishii

Chief executive, chairperson

Global Environment Facility

Tak Niinami

Chief executive

Suntory Holdings

 

Explore

 

World Ocean Initiative

Will the UN climate talks deliver on their “blue COP” ambitions?

 

We report on moves to boost the use of ocean solutions to climate change in countries’ carbon reduction plans.

 

 

The Economist Intelligence Unit

Coastal Governance Index 2019

 

 

The 2019 Coastal Governance Index shows which countries are living up to their promises to protect the ocean environment and deliver a genuinely sustainable blue economy.