Oceans overlooked as source of solutions to climate change

Solar power and energy storage innovations are advancing steadily and will be an important part of our tool kit. However, far too little attention has been paid in the climate change debate to what is happening in our seas and the technology that is being employed there.

The ocean, which covers 71 per cent of the planet, is a global, interconnected ecosystem that is closely intertwined with our planet’s climate system. For example, ocean phytoplankton produce more than 50 per cent of our oxygen, and the ocean absorbs more than 25 per cent of the anthropogenic CO2, and 90 per cent of the excess heat emitted annually into the atmosphere. We can and must look beyond our current horizon to see the ocean as a source of solutions to the climate change challenges facing our planet. In particular, the ocean has enormous potential to help by producing low-carbon energy and by sequestering atmospheric carbon. www.oceancouncil.org