Why might the oceans be crucial to

Why might the oceans be crucial to fighting climate change?

Jonathan (Year 9)

Climate change is very apparent in our lives, and many talk of how we can help to fight rising temperatures and Carbon emissions on land, yet the ideas of how we can use the other 70% of our planet are usually neglected. In this essay, I will be discussing how we can use our oceans to help fight climate change, while keeping it and its estimated one million species of inhabitants safe.

Since 1970, the ocean has absorbed 93% of human-generated heat that would otherwise be emitted into the atmosphere causing 10 times higher temperature increase then we have already experienced. As well as this, the ocean has absorbed one third of all emitted Carbon Dioxide. Although this may sound great, the consequences are profound to the heat and CO2 emitted. The added heat to the ocean causes water expansion, which is the main reason for rising sea levels – marine life also must cope with the hotter conditions. Furthermore, the CO2 in the ocean causes ocean acidification and deoxygenation, which destroys the habitats of marine life and causes them to either perish or relocate to a safer habitat. We can see how the ocean is of significant help to our planet, yet we ourselves are damaging it. As the ocean slowly uses its ability to absorb, it could lead to the reverse affects where it re-emits the saturated CO2 back into our atmosphere, so we must emit less emissions to save our ocean, and we cannot take it for granted.

Another use of the ocean with less detrimental effects to it involves offshore renewable energy. Scientists have estimated that the ocean has the potential to offer onetenth of the emissions reductions needed to reach the 1.5C target, offshore wind could power the world 18 times more than its current consumption rate. In addition, we could also use the power and characteristics of the ocean to our advantage – hydroelectric energy, tidal energy, wave energy and geothermal energy all involve using the characteristics of the ocean to gain power, for example – wave energy involves devices in the ocean gaining kinetic energy from the vertical movement encouraged by the natural waves of the ocean. These methods of renewable energy could be crucial for creating power without releasing emissions to our planet. However, this renewable energy must be harvested safely, and power plants in the ocean must be sustainable and safe in the environment, for example, being self-sufficient, and causing no harm to the marine life. The potential of renewable power is incredible but must be done safely and sustainably.

When our ocean is thriving, the plant life within the ocean can play a vital role with fighting climate change, since

plants naturally absorb CO2 during photosynthesis. 85% of all plant life lives in the ocean, and so if they are thriving, they can efficiently absorb Carbon Dioxide.

Plants in coastal areas, such as mangrove forests and seagrass meadows, trap carbon in underwater sediment and soil, and some CO2 is also stored in the fossils of dead animals. Other benefits include the release of oxygen, which bubbles to the surface of the ocean and positively impacts us in return. But, for plants to be able to absorb CO2 most efficiently, they must be in perfect conditions to thrive, which includes un acidic water, a constant temperature, and enough sunlight. This means that in return, us humans must keep our sea safe from acidity, elevated temperatures, and rising sea levels, which may affect the living conditions of the plant life. Currently, only 7% of our ocean is protected and for plant life to thrive, us humans must do better in protecting our oceans.

As well as biological support, the ocean also supplies our planet with a more sustainable method of transport, along with a reasonably sustainable way to attain food in the form of sea food, however both factors are currently exploited for wealth and human benefit across the world, which takes advantage of what the oceans give us and in return, damage our environment. The shipping industry alone has a similar carbon footprint to Germany, if the industry were to be a country, then shipping would be the world’s sixth-largest emitter. The ocean gives us a great opportunity to be

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able to transport anything across the world in the most efficient way (compared to the likes of land and air transport), but as a result, we must keep our oceans healthy and clean. The current food industry is responsible for one-third of the world’s carbon emissions, and the ocean can help get everyone fed through fishing, but this must be done sustainably in order for us to continue fishing into the future – some have suggested temporary no-fishing zones to allow the population of fish to grow to a sufficient amount that after a certain length of time, fishing in that area can happen again.

In conclusion, the oceans fight climate change for our planet so much more than we expect, and the sustainable opportunities that present themselves are vast, yet by the ocean helping to tackle climate change for us, we must help it in return, because synergy with our oceans can be key to human development and limiting climate change. By keeping the waters safe and clean, the ocean and all that lives in it can thrive.

Sources used for research: Scientists argue the oceans should play a bigger role in Green New Deal climate change policies | World Economic Forum (weforum.org) Opinion | How Biden Can Use the Ocean to Fight Climate Change (yahoo. com) Why are wetlands so important in the fight against climate change? (msn.com) https://theconversation.com/the-oceanis-essential-to-tackling-climate-changeso-why-has-it-been-neglected-in-globalclimate-talks-171309 https://www.climateaction.org/news/theocean-has-absorbed-more-than-90-ofthe-heat-gained-by-the-planet

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