Ocean news mean different things for different people. It can be everything from prehistoric giant fish, the quest for the best waves to surf, adventurers crossing the Atlantic, wind powered cargo ships, medicines from marine products, the discovery of new species living at depths of 5,000 meters, island states swallowed by the ocean or how US President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better plan affects deep sea mining in the Northern Pacific Ocean.
You have probably read that we know more about the Moon’s surface than the Earth’s ocean bed. We need ocean news.
When you google “ocean news” the top five search results are:
- Ocean News & Technology Magazine
- Oceanography News — ScienceDaily
- Oceans | Science News
- Oceans – latest news, breaking stories and comment – The Independent
- News: Ocean Exploration News: NOAA Ocean Exploration
Climate experts, oceanographers and marine biologists won’t find this guide very useful. But most people aren’t experts, like myself. So, just to get a bit of structure in my own research, I decided to scribble down what kind of ocean news I am looking for and why, and share it.
It wouldn’t make sense to try and make an exhaustive list of recommended sources. I rather define two filters through which I search what I find newsworthy. Comments and input are welcome!
The main ocean news filter is this: I want to know more about how much we can take from the ocean’s resources to tackle the climate crisis without destroying it. For me, ocean news is about ways to sustainably take advantage of, preserve and protect the oceans.
The second filter would be to sort ocean news by the main drivers that are either damaging or preserving the oceans. Some key aspects stand out.
Your computer isn’t made of just a few pieces
The climate crisis requires millions of pieces that need to come together. People, sense of urgency, common knowledge, solutions, faith, skills, science, profit, technology, cooperation, regulations, incentives, respect for the natural world etc.
What matters the most? The question is a bit misleading since there is no quick fix, but some drivers certainly impact more than others.
- Carbon dioxide emissions; it’s negative impacts and solutions to cut it.
- Offshore wind, aquaculture and mineral extraction.
- Politics, incentives and regulations.
The no. 1 mass killer
The number one mass killer causing havoc and fundamental disruptions is obviously CO2 emissions. Any news about the renewable energy shift, and you might add carbon capture and storage, is of interest. And as you know, news about it, is everywhere.
Human activity has emitted around 500 billion tons of CO2 since the Industrial Revolution. 30 per cent of this has been absorbed by the ocean. Every hour, the oceans absorb one million tons CO2. The top few meters of the ocean store as much heat as Earth’s entire atmosphere, and the ocean absorbs more than 90 percent of the excess heat from Earth’s system. Warmer oceans lead to melting of the ice sheets, kill coral reefs and impacts on the climate, amongst others.
CO2 reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid. The more acid seawater becomes, the less calcium carbonate it can hold. Corals and shellfish need this to build their skeletons. Without it, they become thin and fragile.
Figures of interest
Some figures illustrating what I search for:
Nuclear power is expensive and takes too much time to build. A doubling of today’s capacity can potentially only yield less than 4 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Mangroves are able to store and stock pile carbon from the atmosphere during their growing period from 50 metric tons to as much as 220 metric tons per acre. Cement is the source of about 8 per cent of the world’s CO2 emissions. Transport accounts for around one-fifth of global CO2 emissions, of which 45 per cent is from passenger transport by road. Aviation accounts for around 2.5 per cent.
Global CO2 emissions fell by 6.4 per cent, or 2.3 billion tonnes, in 2020 as the pandemic dramatically reduced economic and social activities. The sixteen largest ships emit the same amount of CO2 as all the world’s cars. The shipping industry is responsible for around 940 million tonnes of CO2 annually, which is some 2.5 per cent of global emissions. Close-to-shore offshore wind sites could provide almost 36,000 TWh of electricity per year. This is close to the global electricity demand projected for 2040, but the potential is much higher if you include the oceans as a whole: 420,000 TWh. Battery demand for electric vehicles will grow 40 times the next 20 years, and the overall demand for minerals, 30 times.
Behind such figures are loads of interesting stuff that involves politics, science, technology, industry, economic considerations and people’s feelings, attitudes and knowledge.
By the way, there is enough technology out there to address most issues and accelerate implementation.
No. 2. Offshore wind, aquaculture and seabed mining
Experts may agree or disagree on what’s the second most important threat and solution. Regardless, you can’t really ignore today’s rapid investments in offshore wind farms. Sustainable seafood production cannot be underestimated and soaring demand for minerals to electrify the world may have major impacts on the marine environment.
Just a snippet on offshore wind: According to 4C Offshore Wind Farm Database, there are currently 2,633 wind farms operating or planned. This week, two announcements caught my interest: The first foundation of the world’s largest wind farm stands on the Dogger Bank in the North Sea, and Japan signing an offshore wind farm contract with Siemens Gamesa.
Grey sound in a green economy
So, we are heading towards an electric world with zero emission. That is good. The downside is that there will be a lot of noise. Not figuratively or politically, but actual damaging sound.
The soundtrack of the sea is becoming more and more a cacophony, or anthropophony, of human-made sound.
Aquaculture
The world’s population is expected to rise to 9 billion in 2030 and 10 billion in 2050. According to the FAO, global seafood production was 171 million tonnes in 2016, of which farmed fish accounted for 47 percent. 3.2 billion people got 20 percent of animal protein from fish. Catches from the sea increased until the mid-90s. After this, it has stabilised. It is therefore unrealistic that wild fish will be able to keep up with population growth.
Indonesia, one of the world’s leading fishing nations, illustrates why we need alternatives to wild fish. 90 per cent of Indonesian boats draw their catch from areas that are already overfished.
Farmed fish don’t escape on land
Farmed fish produce mountains of poop, they escape and algae deaths is a constant threat. This could be history with contained production facilities on land.
Seaweed production has grown to over 30 million tons, more than doubling in the last decade. Most farms operate in shallow coastal waters, competing for space with fishers and other uses. Technology to farm sustainably in harsher ocean conditions is newly developing.
Seabed mining
This is probably as “out sight-out of mind” as you can get. And regulations are accordingly loose and poorly monitored. Yet, some news outlets, like the Los Angeles Times is following closely what is about to happen in the northeastern equatorial Pacific Ocean. The Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone is an abyssal plain of continental proportions between Hawaii and Mexico. This place is home to the most abundant polymetallic nodule deposits yet to be discovered.
Where is the Clarion Clipperton Fracture Zone and why does it matter?
Big things are about to happen here, and it may become a game changer in two aspects.
This place is home to the most abundant polymetallic nodule deposits yet to be discovered. Will nodule mining help us to take that giant leap needed towards the renewable energy shift?
Politics
Just as I sat down to write this post, I learned that US Senator Joe Manchin III, agreed to include hundreds of billions of dollars for climate and energy programs. This is the Build Back Better plan proposed by President Joe Biden over a year ago. Manchin has previously rejected it, but now changed his mind. The climate and tax plan includes $369 billion into energy and climate change programs that will potentially reduce US CO2 emissions by roughly 40 per cent by 2030.
It didn’t take long before the US offshore wind industry commented on the news and how it would benefit investments.
And it will be very interesting to see how this plays out in the seabed mining industry.
Politics and the ocean
How China, USA, Russia and the EU deal with politics impacts on the equilibrium between humans and the seas.
We can’t really reach 2070 without them speaking to each other in a civilized manner.
“Never let a good crisis go to waste “, was a popular quote (credited Churchill) among leaders during the pandemic. Of the $14 trillion economic stimulis measures in 2020-2021, only 6 per cent were allocated to areas that cut emissions.
Did we let the pandemic go to waste?
It’s absurd to even think about letting the climate crisis go to waste. Then what…
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If you find this guide useful or have suggestions better approaches to find out what I am looking for, please provide your comments below.
The Ukraine crisis: Commodity shock and the ocean
Will the war in Ukraine accelerate or derail the renewable energy transition?
Only a few days after the military operations began, analysts started to talk about the knock-on effects. Russia and Ukraine are major commodities producers. Disruptions make global prices soar, especially for oil and natural gas. Food costs have jumped.
Cover photo: That’s me learning about today’s wind forecast in Rhodes.
