Quick Dips
Curated topical articles on the Blue Economy
European Commission / European Investment Bank / World Resources Institute / WWF
Our economies and financial systems, lives and livelihoods are being put at risk by degrading ocean health. One-third of fish stocks are overfished, plastic and toxic chemicals are polluting the waters, and fertilizer run-off from agriculture has led to more than 400 ocean ‘dead zones’ totaling more than 245,000 km^2 . Valuable habitats are under threat, including coral reefs and mangroves, with over half already lost.
These changes have implications for economic stability, food security and livelihoods, and are undermining efforts to deliver the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Read more → (10 minute read)
James Temple, MIT Technology Review Fisheries & Aquaculture
A diet supplemented with red algae could lessen the huge amounts of greenhouse gases emitted by cows and sheep, if we can just figure out how to grow enough.
Read more → (7 minute read)
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson & Louise Elizabeth Maher-Johnson, Scientific American Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture
We can sequester carbon and improve our nutrition through regenerative farming of land and sea.
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Natasha Garcha, World Resources Institute / The Economist Group Fisheries & Aquaculture
Our world’s top scientists spend billions of dollars every year on space exploration, searching the universe for one thing: water, considered a necessity for life. Yet on Earth, our primary source of water — the ocean — is perhaps one of the most undervalued resources on the planet.
Read more → (5 minute read)
The World Bank Tourism
When properly planned and managed, sustainable tourism can contribute to improved livelihoods, inclusion, cultural heritage and natural resource protection, and promote international understanding.
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Jennifer Eder Tourism
Cruise ship passengers are lining up for "authentic, sustainable onshore experiences", such as beach clean-ups and tree planting, but New Zealand cruise destinations have yet to cash in on the demand.Read more → (16 minute read)
Jurriaan Kamp, President & Editor in Chief of the Optimist Daily Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture
Gas is the future. That may sound counterintuitive in an emerging world of renewable energy where new solar power records are set on a monthly basis. However, for Joost Wouters, Dutch engineer and entrepreneur at Inrada Group, there’s no doubt: in the future, we will continue to use gas-fired stoves to cook our meals and warm our homes with gas-burning heating systems. Gas? Yes, biogas from seaweed.Read more → (6 minute read)
Editorial Staff, World Resources Institute
The ocean asset bank is large, so what will it take for mainstream finance to dive in?
Read more → (2 minute read)
Principles for Responsible Investment Plastics & Pollution
Increasing regulation means that companies need to be ready to respond to the growing plastic-related legal requirements.
With 8 million tonnes of plastic entering the ocean annually, and growing evidence of microplastic entering the food chain, seafood companies and consumers are also at risk.
Read more → (5 minute read)
Editorial Staff, World Resources Institute Fisheries & Aquaculture
The ocean is vast and complex, but there is at least one clear truth; there are fewer and fewer fish in the sea, and better fisheries management is needed.
Read more → (2 minute read)
Nathanael Johnson, Grist Fisheries & Aquaculture
Not all fish are created equal when it comes to their impact on the climate, according to a new study.
Read more → (3 minute read)
University of Western Australia, PHYS ORG Fisheries & Aquaculture
A global study led by a team from The University of Western Australia and the Marine Biological Association of the UK has found that kelp forests take in more than twice the amount of carbon dioxide than previously thought, which can help mitigate the impact of climate change.
Read more → (2 minute read)
Rachel Crane, CNN Fisheries & Aquaculture
The average American male consumes 100 grams of protein daily -- almost double the necessary amount. This overconsumption isn't sustainable. The United Nations projects food production will need to increase as much as 70% by 2050 to feed an extra 2.5 billion people.Read more → (6 minute read)
United Nations Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution
14.1 By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution 14.2 By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts, including by strengthening their resilience, and take action for their restoration, to achieve healthy and productive oceans 14.3 Minimize and address the impacts of ocean acidification, including through enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels 14.4 By 2020, effectively regulate harvesting, and end overfishing, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and destructive fishing practices and implement science-based management plans, to restore fish stocks...
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Kathryn Behesht, The Ocean Foundation Fisheries & Aquaculture
Seagrasses are aquatic flowering plants that are found along a broad latitudinal range. As one of the planets most effective and efficient coastal systems for carbon sequestration, proper conservation and management of seagrass meadows is critical to combat the global loss of seagrasses.Read more → (6 minute read)
Irene Banos Ruiz, DW
Moving to a "blue" economy is crucial for the sustainability in our world's oceans, say experts at the 5th World Ocean Summit happening in Mexico this week. But what is "blue economy" actually about?
Read more → (5 minute read)
World Wildlife Fund
The ocean is a biologically diverse and highly productive system. It is an immense source of materials, food, energy and ecosystem services.
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Jim Tan, Mongabay Fisheries & Aquaculture
New research finds that the queen conch (Strombus gigas), economically important as food and for its decorative shell, is facing unprecedented fishing pressure throughout its Caribbean range.
Read more → (6 minute read)
Simon Evans, Carbon Brief Energy Solutions
Building solar, wind or nuclear plants creates an insignificant carbon footprint compared with savings from avoiding fossil fuels, a new study suggests.
Read more → (8 minute read)
Kalila Morsink, Smithsonian Energy Solutions Fisheries & Aquaculture Plastics & Pollution
That’s right—more than half of the oxygen you breathe comes from marine photosynthesizers, like phytoplankton and seaweed.
Read more → (3 minute read)
