State of the Oceans — Special Edition
TRACING THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC
With the ongoing COVID-19 crisis influencing everything from plastic pollution and fishing patterns to meat consumption and green energy, we take a closer look at how our new global reality is impacting the oceans and planet
This image by Jaeyoon Jeong. Header Image by Nicholas Doherty
CLIMATE CHANGE
For the first time ever, electricity production from renewable energy in America is set to surpass coal by the end of 2020. This finding comes from a new government report, which projects that renewables will provide the country’s “fastest-growing source of electricity generation” while coal consumption drops by 25%. Since 2010, stricter pollution laws and the declining cost of renewables have weakened American coal. Now, reduced electricity demand due to COVID-19 could mean the end of the industry, since most utilities have cut back on coal and instead are using cheaper renewables – a trend that experts predict will outlast the pandemic.
The end of coal is a historic opportunity for a renewable energy revolution that can help our world solve the climate crisis and recover from the outbreak. Many politicians, businesses, and entrepreneurs believe that “green” hydrogen power – produced from solar and wind – can lead this revolution. This week, the International Energy Agency urged the European Union to include hydrogen in major stimulus packages, and a new study showed how Australia could become an energy “superpower” and create a multibillion dollar steel industry powered by green hydrogen.
PLASTIC POLLUTION
From Europe to Asia, meanwhile, the ongoing pandemic is raising concerns that hard-fought gains in the fight against single-use plastics are being rapidly reversed as the issue is “parked” to address the spread of COVID-19. Rollbacks of regulations, the need for PPE and the plummeting prices of new plastics threaten to undo years of progress. Plunging oil prices – the raw material used to make plastic – also means recyclers and waste pickers are struggling to survive, since virgin plastic is now cheaper to buy than recycled plastic. But the pandemic may also provide a critical brake on the forecasted growth of new plants which actually produce plastic. In the US, Shell has suspended construction on a Pennsylvania complex, while PTT Global Chemical announced it was indefinitely delaying plans to build an Ohio plant – signalling the industry could face more fundamental issues.
EMISSIONS
Even with people staying in, carbon dioxide emissions levels are breaking records – and the coronavirus is doing little to slow down climate change. The annual average is also expected to rise, according to an analysis published this week by scientists in the UK and at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in the US. They found that the overall amount of CO2 in the atmosphere is still climbing steadily, and that the dramatic changes from the pandemic have barely slowed it down. The data shows how much more ambitious efforts need to be in order to stop heating up our planet. Meanwhile, air quality continues to improve since the crisis first emptied the roads of traffic, giving us a futuristic glimpse of the clearer skies that could come with an electric vehicle fleet, according to preliminary findings by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration labs.
RENEWABLES
More good news for renewable energy: In Nevada’s Mojave desert, the US’s largest solar project yet received approval. Upon its completion in two-to-three years, the $1-billion “Gemini” solar array and battery storage facility will power 260,000 homes and offset the greenhouse gas emissions from 83,000 cars annually. Despite the fact that COVID-19 has delayed new solar and wind projects across the country, experts predict that renewables will continue to rise in the long-term. As the director-general for the International Renewable Energy Agency notes, the one obstacle to renewables would be economic stimulus packages that revive fossil fuels: “The only thing we have to be afraid of is that governments can be pushed by lobbyists to bail out sectors that belong in the past.”
FOOD
Social distancing measures have forced much of America’s meat processing facilities to close, leading some to predict a nationwide shortage. Tyson Foods – the country’s second largest meat-producer – recently noted “the food supply chain is broken.” A few weeks ago, the company took out a full-page ad in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, warning consumers about its reduced supplies. As for fisheries, the pandemic’s effects remain uncertain. Since early March, global fishing has fallen by 10%, which may give exploited stocks a chance to recover. At the same time, reduced enforcement could open the door for illegal fishing activities. And as fisheries expert Daniel Pauly cautions, “The good effects will be limited if fishing pressure builds up again soon.”
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