State of the Oceans — Log 75
YOUR WEEKLY BRIEFING FROM PARLEY
RENEWABLE ENERGY
Some rare bright news: solar power in the United States re-wrote the record books in 2019, according to a new report by the Solar Energy Industries Association and the global energy research firm Wood Mackenzie. In just one year, the industry grew by 23% – accounting for a full 40% of all new generating capacity. Looking ahead, total installed photovoltaic power is projected to double in the next five years. The findings are encouraging, as moving away from fossil fuel based energy will be key to saving the oceans – already warming and acidifying thanks to increased greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
According to the study’s authors, solar energy in America has benefitted from 28 states’ setting CO2 emissions reductions goals. So far, California, the Northeast, Texas, and Florida have led solar development, but Maine, New York, and Pennsylvania are poised to be big markets if they can overcome certain policy challenges. Ideally, advances in storage technology will allow solar to support the rising need for renewables.
COVID-19
From social distancing to cancelled flights, global efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have reduced greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. In NYC and LA, carbon monoxide concentrations have declined, and in China – the world’s largest carbon polluter – emissions are 25% below normal levels. Yet, this drop in emissions is likely temporary as experts believe that increases in home energy use could offset the transportation sector’s reductions. Carbon pollution may even increase if economic stimulus packages boost the fossil fuel industry, which is what happened after the 2008 crash. Some much-needed good news: as boat activity decreases, people in hard-hit Venice have noticed a resurgence of wildlife in the city’s canals, including swans, fish, and maybe even dolphins.
MARINE LIFE
In Batanes, an archipelago province in the northern Philippines, coconut crabs are hovering on the brink of extinction. For years, the crabs were so abundant and cheap that fisherman used them as bait, but in 2014 an increase in tourism turned this species into a delicacy. Demand in restaurants, souvenir shops, and even as an export, coconut crab prices more than doubled, and hunters responded by catching more and more of the already endangered species. Coconut crabs are the world’s largest terrestrial arthropod and can live to be 60. However, they are slow growing and take years to reach maturity, which makes it difficult for populations to recover from overharvesting. An official from Batanes’ department of natural resources said a sanctuary could help save the species.
INNOVATION
One day, our world could run on renewable biofuels harvested by drones from seaweed farms in the open ocean. Traditional corn and wood-based biofuels are renewable because they sequester carbon from the atmosphere as they grow. However, these operations take up a lot of fertilizer and fresh water. Though certain questions remain, seaweed just needs space to grow, and the ocean has plenty of space. Off California’s coast, a government-funded startup called Marine BioEnergy has recognized that potential and begun experiments with kelp. The company’s founder said, “To replace 10% of liquid petroleum fuels used in the U.S. today, we would need to have an area about the size of Utah. There is room in the Pacific for 705 Utahs.”
PLASTIC POLLUTION
According to new research, 914 different marine species have ingested or been entangled in human trash. To reach this figure, the authors reviewed over 747 scientific studies published between May 2019 and 1938, when American biologist Eugene Gudger first observed an Atlantic cod stuck in a can of maple syrup. “Back then, people believed that things they throw in the ocean would disappear entirely, diluted in the infinite water,” said one author, “I think Gudger’s observations were a first hint that this perception is incorrect.” Comparable studies from 1997 and 2015 respectively estimated that plastic pollution had affected 267 and 557 marine animals. The new figure could mean that plastics are affecting more species than ever before.
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