“We have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean.”
John F. Kennedy
What image does seaweed bring to mind for you? I used to think of the slimy stuff that creeped me out when it brushed against my leg in the ocean. But not anymore. Seaweed is getting a glow-up.
People around the world have been farming seaweed as a source of food for ages. More recently, it is being recognized as a climate change solution. Here are some ways seaweed is a rock star.
Absorbs carbon dioxide
Burning fossil fuel sends CO2 into the air. Some stays there, trapping the sun’s heat, but a lot is absorbed by the oceans.
As I’ve written about before, trees absorb CO2, turning forests into massive carbon sinks. Well, seaweed is the forest of the ocean. Just like plants and trees on land, seaweed absorbs carbon dioxide and creates oxygen through photosynthesis.
Our oceans suck up around 25% of the CO2 we emit, as well as 90% of the excess heat from those emissions. Imagine how hot it would be without them! So more seaweed = less CO2 in the atmosphere.
Sustainable source of food
The effects of climate change – i.e. drought and flooding – are taking a toll on farming. This will be a growing problem as the planet continues to get warmer. Seaweed farming doesn’t require fresh water, pesticides, or fertilizer. Also, seaweed can feed both humans and animals, reducing our reliance on land crops.
Seaweed has been a big part of the diet in some cultures, especially in Asia. Its popularity is growing in the US because of the nutrition and health benefits. Why not give seaweed a try when you see it on a menu, or maybe give it a shot at home?
Reduces methane in cow burps
Methane in the atmosphere traps exponentially more heat than CO2. This is why reducing methane is a top climate priority. One of the main sources of methane emissions is cow burps. Crazy but true. Researchers have found that adding seaweed to the diet of cows reduces the methane in their belches by up to 90%! Some farms in the US are beginning to try this strategy. This will help, but so will cutting back on our red meat consumption.
Biofuel and bioplastic
Seaweed can be transformed into sustainable and biodegradable substitutes for both fuel and plastic. Scaling this up will not only cut demand for oil, but will also help with our plastic waste problem.
A silver bullet?
I wish seaweed farming was a silver bullet to fix climate change. It’s not. But it is an important piece of the puzzle. Solving climate change will take an all-of-the-above approach. We know what needs to be done, it’s just a matter of putting these solutions into place…and fast.
Let’s do something about climate change. Learn about it. Think about it. Talk about it.