Future models

The importance of oceans

They are an essential ally. So why are they still neglected?

Most countries have targets for land-based emissions, but there are no such targets for oceans. Yet they play a vital role in helping balance the conditions humans and most other species need to survive.

Since industrialisation, the ocean has absorbed 93% of human-generated heat and one-third of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO). This has caused the thermal expansion of water, which is the key cause of sea level rise, ocean acidification, and deoxygenation.

Oceans play a vital role in helping balance the conditions humans and most other species need to survive.

The shipping industry alone has a similar carbon footprint to Germany. If shipping were a country, it would be the world’s sixth-largest emitter. Intensive agriculture and fishing are responsible for one-third of global emissions, while there are emerging concerns around the impact of plastic pollution on plankton’s ability to absorb CO

According to a report by the Intergovernamental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), this could influence ocean’s capacity of absorbing carbon dioxide, causing the release of CO back into the atmosphere.

Picture by Michael Olsen | Unsplash

At COP26 talk has focused on the potential for coastal areas to adapt to climate change impacts such as sea-level rise. The final agreement recognised the importance of ensuring the ocean ecosystem’s integrity and established the “the Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue”. However, they are not significant measures – we still lack national targets and clear, mandatory international requirements for countries to consider their economies’ impact on maritime territories. 

The most promising achievement was the release of a new declaration called Because the ocean”, which calls for the systematic inclusion of the oceans in the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement process. The actual impact of COP26 on the inclusion of oceans in climate action remains uncertain. It will depend on how the UNFCCC bodies respond to these directives, and their success in extending obligations to state parties.

The impact of COP26 on the inclusion of oceans in climate action remains uncertain.

At the end of 2020, a report by The Economist examined the progresses of energy innovation and their impact on blue economy. According to the World Bank, the blue economy is “the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem.” The report highlighted some factors that can accelerate energy innovation and unblock sea energy potential.

An interesting perspective involves offshore wind production on large scale. Despite being a relatively new source of energy, offshore wind is now one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sources in the world. While the market size has increased, prices for offshore wind power have rapidly declined. Offshore wind is one promising option for green hydrogen production which could enable a near carbon-neutral energy system. 

Picture by José Duarte | Unsplash

In November 2020, the European Commission issued a strategy to harness the potential of offshore renewable energy. This strategy maps out a path to replace fossil fuels, creating industrial opportunities and green jobs across the continent. The marine renewables industry will need to scale up 5 times by 2030 and 25 times by 2050 to support the Green Deal’s objectives. Of course, producing electricity from the sea must be compatible with the goals of the EU Biodiversity Strategy and can happen in parallel with other activities such as fishing and aquaculture. 

Another strategy involves the use of tidal energy, that is the predictable currents produced by the tides, the constant bobbing motion of the waves or natural differences in seawater temperatures and salinity. According to Mauricio Pereira, Head of renewable Energy at Bureau Veritas, tidal stream electricity has the potential to become one of the lead sources of renewable energies in the world and to create new jobs, re-distributing and upskilling employees of fossil fuel industries. 

To succeed in limiting climate change the world needs to start using the most widespread element on the planet both strategically and consciously. Especially for the Mediterranean countries, the only possible strategy is converging green and blue economy goals, at an economic and environmental level.