Tag Archives: Ocean

Tidal Energy

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Tidal energy has the potential to be the future for harvesting energy. Tidal power is made through the natural cycles of the world’s tides which is caused by the gravitational pull of the moon and other celestial bodies. Tidal energy could function as a significant replacement for traditional electric production from coal. With tidal energy, it is all about finding the most effective location for capturing the tide. The most productive spots are where the range between high tide and low tide is the largest. There are three ways in which tidal energy can be captured; tidal turbines, tidal lagoons, and tidal barrages. Tidal energy is sustainable, renewable, eco-friendly, and is more effective than wind power systems. Like many other new energy routes and potential solutions to environmental issues, there are a lot of barriers to consider when implementing them that slow down the process.

 

https://www.pnnl.gov/explainer-articles/tidal-energy

Sustainable Fishing

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There are many issues attached to the fishing industry: overfishing, bycatch, pollution, fish farming, and economics. This is why it is so vital to protect the fish and other marine life populations in the ocean. If the IPCC can determine and enforce sustainable fishing quotas the ocean will be well protected. But since the ocean is a global commons and there is no full authority over it regulations are difficult to make. Additionally, since the ocean covers the majority of our planet there is no way to actually enforce these regulations and ensure people/fishing companies are following them. There is one company called Seashepard that acts like a vigilante group which boards boats that are engaging in suspicious activity. Since the ocean is so vast it is also difficult to determine quotas since it is hard to figure out exact population numbers. Scientists often are estimating the population sizes of species and even then fishing companies still push for higher quotas. Even with bycatch and fish farming quotas have to be set. Bycatch because it is the unnecessary catching and killing of marine life while fishing. Fish farming because often fish caught from the ocean are used as feed for the farm bred fish. Additonally, the usage of sustainable fishing methods in terms of techniques used like long lines, and trollers. So in terms of mathematics there is a lot of estimating involved with fishing to establish effective quota levels that protect populations and encourage sustainable economic activity. There is an interesting documentary on Netflix called Seaspiracy that explains all the dynamics of the fishing industry. When buying fish look to see if it was locally sourced or fished sustainably and consumption is the driving force for the fishing industry so it’s important to support environmentally conscious brands.

Killer CO2

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From our course load and previous scientific course knowledge, we are all aware of some of the dangers that are inherent with carbon dioxide. Our Earth’s ability to absorb and filter carbon dioxide is limited and we cannot afford to depend on our oceans to prevent major change in the world that we know. Reports from the IPCC insist that irreversible temperature changes can be expected during our lifetime with a 1.5 degrees Celsius increase as soon as 2030. Further, the IPCC predicts an increase of 2 degrees Celsius by 2050. This increase would not be extremely noticeable during our daily lives, however experts emphasize that this is not the point. Technology exists that can help to eliminate carbon dioxide before it reaches levels of our atmosphere. This technology is called “negative-emmisions” and they are invaluable for climate goals set by global leaders. These technologies are not enough by themselves, but combined with emission cuts, they would jointly help us towards minimizing climate change. The FUTURE Act, a 2018 federal law, rewards negative-emmisions technologies,

“Nevertheless, there are some bright spots for NETs in the US, Pacala says. For example, a 2018 federal law, the FUTURE Act, provides a $50 tax credit for each metric ton of CO2 that is captured and stored underground. Also, recent changes to the California Low Carbon Fuel Standard program allows greenhouse gas polluters that fail to meet a declining state emission cap to buy emission credits from companies that captured and sequestered CO2. Those emission credits have been trading at $190 per metric ton. Both programs could generate funds for NET development.”

This rewarding of environmentally sound practices is necessary for more global involvement and investment in these technologies. As we discussed in class, large bodies of water, specifically oceans, absorb huge quantities of carbon-dioxide. Wetlands are just as important for their absorption qualities, thus making the need to preserve and protect these areas even more time-conscious. These areas absorb massive amounts of harmful carbon-dioxide, “The plants take in some 840 million t of CO2 each year. The National Academies report estimates this level could more than double in the near future with active restoration and wetland creation, reaching additional cumulative storage of 5.4 billion t of CO2 by 2100.”

Globally we can achieve our goals of minimizing our effect on the planet by preserving natural areas and resources before it is too late.

Works Cited:
https://cen.acs.org/environment/greenhouse-gases/Capturing-carbon-save-us/97/i8
https://joshuacross.com/florida-wetlands-guide/ (image)