Quick Dips
Curated topical articles on the Blue Economy

The World’s Oceans Need a Bailout

Noah Smith, Bloomberg Plastics & Pollution

Most environmental problems are concentrated in the area where the pollution is produced. This is good, because it’s a lot easier for a single city or country to deal with an environmental challenge than it is for the international community.There are two huge exceptions to this. The first is global warming, which (as the name implies) affects everyone. The second is the world’s oceans, most of which are not claimed as the territory of any nation or the property of any individual.

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5 Ways Sustainable Seafood Can Benefit People and the Environment

Emily Petsko, Oceana Fisheries & Aquaculture

Oceana works to save the oceans and feed the world, and we can't do that without sustainable seafood. We help our oceans thrive by promoting fishery policies that follow science-based quotas, reduce bycatch, put an end to overfishing and protect fragile habitats. These tactics not only help marine life flourish — a win in its own right — but also ensure that our oceans can continue to nourish the people who need it most.

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New biofabricated clothing made from algae goes through photosynthesis just like plants

Nicole Jewell, INHABITAT

There are products that completely revolutionize the fashion industry for their eco-friendly approach and innovative vision.

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How data transparency can help protect our oceans

Patti Harris, CEO, Bloomberg Philanthropies

This week, I traveled to Oslo to attend the 6th annual convening of Our Ocean, and after spending time with so many like-minded partners and leaders from across sectors and around the world, I’m more optimistic than ever about what’s possible for the global movement to protect the ocean.

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30 Companies and Institutional Investors Commit to Take Action to Secure a Healthy and Productive Ocean

United Nations

The signatories to the principles include the container ship and supply vessel operator A.P. Møller – Mærsk, food and beverage company PepsiCo, and Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages one of the world’s largest funds with over US$ 1 trillion in assets.

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The World’s Largest Cruise Ship Will Homeport in China. But Will It Work?

J.A. Bower Tourism

Royal Caribbean announced last week that its fifth Oasis-class ship will be named Wonder of the Seas. Perhaps more interestingly, the cruise line also announced that it will homeport in Shanghai. The 5,448-passenger new vessel, set to become the largest ship in the world at the time of its 2021 debut, will reportedly serve the Chinese market year-round.

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California needs to tap offshore wind

Dan Jacobson Energy Solutions

California needs to find a way to harness the wind off its coast to power an electric grid that will rely more than ever on clean, renewable energy.

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New report shows increasing momentum behind sustainable seafood

Marine Stewardship Council Fisheries & Aquaculture

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), responsible for the world’s leading sustainable seafood ecolabel and certification programme, has today published a report showing continued growth in the demand for and supply of sustainable seafood.

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The Carbon Intensity of My Cruise Ship Vacation

Kuni Chen Tourism

It’s nice to get away and head to the Caribbean, especially when its freezing cold here in NYC. But as I was enjoying my frosty beer and endless buffet, I started to wonder about the environmental impact of my trip. So, because I can’t help myself, I did a little research on the environmental sustainability of the cruise ship industry – with a particular focus on carbon intensity. Deep down I had a nagging concern that cruise ships might be awful for the environment. Bottom line: cruising is indeed very carbon intensive!

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Could the future of marine energy be onshore?

World Ocean Initiative Energy Solutions

Scaling up wave-energy generation to tackle climate change needs to start with smaller projects in a lower-risk environment, say experts

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An introduction to the state of wind power in the U.S.

Philip Warburg, Yale Climate Connections Energy Solutions

Advances in technology, improved economics, and broad political support are making wind power a formidable twenty-first century energy resource. Top-ranking Denmark draws 41% of its electricity from wind; Ireland follows with 28%; the European Union as a whole gets 14% of its power from wind.

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Algae might be a secret weapon to combatting climate change

Ben Lamm, Founder, Hypergiant Fisheries & Aquaculture

While the Amazon plays a vital role in global carbon absorption (and we should continue to try and save it), between 1994 and 2007, our oceans absorbed 34 gigatons of the world’s carbon through algae, vegetation, and coral. In other words, the trees might not save us—but the oceans could.

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The World’s Oceans Are in Danger, Major Climate Change Report Warns

Brad Plumer Energy Solutions

Climate change is heating the oceans and altering their chemistry so dramatically that it is threatening seafood supplies, fueling cyclones and floods and posing profound risks to the hundreds of millions of people living along the coasts.

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Sea surface temperatures

NASA Earth Observatory Tourism

Sea surface temperatures have a large influence on climate and weather. For example, every 3 to 7 years a wide swath of the Pacific Ocean along the equator warms by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius. This warming is a hallmark of the climate pattern El Niño, which changes rainfall patterns around the globe, causing heavy rainfall in the southern United States and severe drought in Australia, Indonesia, and southern Asia. 

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The problem with plastic

Ocean Conservancy Plastics & Pollution

You’ve probably seen videos of these impacts first hand, like a sea turtle with a plastic straw embedded in its nose or a whale entangled in a fishing net, approaching divers that release it from harm. Some of these incidents have happy endings, but in reality, many more do not. Plastic has been found in more than 60% of all seabirds and in 100% of sea turtles species, that mistake plastic for food. And when animals ingest plastic, it can cause life-threatening problems, including reduced fitness, nutrient uptake and feeding efficiency—all vital for survival. Every year, 8 million metric tons...

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Aquaculture Fund Aims to Cash In on Trend

Dieter Holger, Wall Street Journal Fisheries & Aquaculture

Aquaculture is surfacing as an attractive sector for green investors. The farming of fish, and other waterborne organic protein, such as algae, is becoming increasingly important to the world’s growing population. Aquaculture’s share of global fish consumption climbed to 50% in 2014 from 18% in 1990, and is expected to reach 57% by 2025, according to UBS.

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Insuring Nature to Ensure a Resilient Future

The Nature Conservancy Tourism

The world’s first insurance policy on a coral reef is now in place in Mexico

 

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Seaweed 'forests' can help fight climate change

Todd Woody, National Geographic Fisheries & Aquaculture

Farming seaweed, then sinking the mature plants to the bottom of the ocean, could be an effective way to fight warming. So why don’t we do it?

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Why the World Ocean Summit is going to Japan in 2020

World Ocean Initiative

Japan is grappling with the blue economy agenda as it tries to increase economic growth and social wellbeing while protecting the environment

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Seawalls – Our Front Lines of Defense

Various (Washington Post, Seattle Times)

Is there a person in the world that doesn’t like to sit on the beach, take a short break from the daily grind, and enjoy the beautiful ocean scenery?

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