Ships that sweep up plastic pollution from the water for recycling; seaweed farming to sustainably feed the world; self-driving ocean vessels that run on electricity and—of course—technology that channels clean ocean power to people on land: these are just a few of the creative ways companies are working to sustainably develop in the oceans in accord with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. And that’s the theme for this year’s World Oceans Day, June 8, 2020.
The ocean is an extraordinary resource. It absorbs about half our carbon dioxide and provides half our oxygen. It holds 97% of our water supply and moves heat around the globe to protect the environment. It is home to untold numbers of species, including some of the world’s oldest: jellyfish are half a billion years old.
The UN celebrates World Oceans Day this year with virtual events drawing attention to innovations in sustainable development of the ocean. Roughly 80% of the ocean has never been explored or mapped. There are vast quantities of knowledge that still elude scientists regarding, for example, the ecosystem of the ocean floor. There are presumed to be many species we have yet to discover living in the deep ocean.
Unfortunately, too many of our encounters with the ocean have been destructive—including overfishing, destroying coral reefs, and creating great islands of floating plastic that break down into ever smaller bits and are found in the bloodstreams of fish caught from the ocean. Sustainable development, sustainable innovation, is about using the ocean resource without damaging it, and understanding ocean ecosystems before we presume to infiltrate them. That’s what World Ocean’s Day is about.
Ocean energy is a key
Ocean energy has the potential to be one of those developments that positively impacts the oceans; if the oceans must absorb our carbon, then providing an energy source that reduces that carbon output relieves the burden on the ocean.
Many forms of ocean energy work with the resource, not against it. Waves, for example, are embodied energy. The wind sets the water moving and the power of dense water rising and falling is liquid energy that wave energy companies are working to harness in order to provide a reliable source of clean power.
The potential power that could be extracted from the oceans is immense, roughly 125% of current electrical usage. But the challenges are formidable also: building something that can withstand saltwater, tides, and storms.
World Oceans Day is a good reminder that whatever we develop has to enhance and protect the ecosystem it’s placed in. Seabased has worked with scientists to design wave energy parks so that they can become artificial reefs where diverse species of fish and crustaceans seek shelter in the hard-shell homes provided by the generators. These wave energy parks have no blades that threaten sea creatures, emit no pollutants or toxins, and produce only negligible amounts of sound that don’t disturb sea life.
And yet, they can provide a reliable source of CO2 energy for the grid without creating eyesores for or demanding huge land areas from the communities where they’re installed.
Ocean industries working together
People who work in and around the oceans have a deep appreciation for humans’ history with the sea. It has been our chief means of exploration; it is the primary way we get goods from here to there. It is a source of food, of recreation, and inspiration. And it makes our planet habitable. Celebrations like World Ocean Day remind us that this is a resource beyond price and treating it with respect is crucial to our own and our planet’s future.