How Ocean Actions Could Help Save Our Planet
Imagine Earth's ocean as a massive, beating heart that circulates lifeblood through our planet—regulating temperature, absorbing carbon, and sustaining countless ecosystems. This isn't far from truth; the ocean has already buffered us from the worst impacts of climate change by absorbing approximately 25% of human-produced CO₂ and capturing over 90% of excess heat from global warming. But this vital organ is now under unprecedented stress, showing symptoms of sickness through rising temperatures, acidification, and deoxygenation.
In response to this crisis, an extraordinary collaboration emerged between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the European Academy of Sciences, forming a joint working group of academicians dedicated to finding ocean-based solutions. After rigorous evaluation, they've identified a portfolio of 19 specific ocean-based measures that could dramatically alter our climate trajectory. As lead scientist Jean-Pierre Gattuso noted, this represents a "dramatic scaling up of efforts" in implementing both ambitious mitigation and adaptation plans 1 9 .
The CAS-EurASc Working Group didn't merely list ideas; they created a sophisticated classification system that groups interventions into four purposeful categories and further classifies them based on implementation potential and risk 9 :
Targeting the root problem by reducing greenhouse gas concentrations
Helping marine life adjust to changing conditions
Protecting human communities from climate impacts
Exploring how ocean-related approaches might reduce heat absorption
Perhaps more importantly, they categorized approaches based on readiness and risk factors, creating a practical decision-making framework for policymakers:
| Policy Cluster | Characteristics | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Decisive Measures | Well-understood, low-risk, high-benefit | Offshore wind, Coastal ecosystem restoration |
| Low Regret Measures | Moderate risk, substantial potential benefit | Seaweed farming, Fisheries management |
| Unproven Measures | Uncertain efficacy, unknown risks | Ocean iron fertilization, Artificial upwelling |
| Risky Measures | High potential for unintended consequences | Solar radiation management via marine cloud brightening |
Table: The four policy-relevant clusters for ocean-based climate measures as classified by the CAS-EurASc Working Group 9
The ocean represents a vast, largely untapped reservoir of renewable energy. The Ocean Climate Action Coalition has strongly advocated for federal investment in research and development of wind, wave, and tidal energy 2 . The potential is staggering—offshore wind alone could supply more than 420,000 Terawatt-hours per year worldwide, which is over 18 times global electricity demand.
This momentum is already building. In one of his first presidential actions, President Biden expanded federal leasing to target 30 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2030—a specific recommendation from ocean climate advocates 2 . This initiative not only helps decarbonize energy systems but creates thousands of jobs in a new blue economy sector.
Coastal ecosystems like mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes are phenomenal carbon sinks, sequestering carbon at rates up to 10 times higher than mature tropical forests. They've been called "blue carbon ecosystems" for their extraordinary ability to pull carbon from the atmosphere and store it in plant biomass and sediments 5 .
Beyond carbon benefits, these ecosystems provide incredible coastal protection services. Mangrove forests can reduce wave height by up to 66%, effectively dissipating storm energy before it reaches human settlements 2 . The CAS-EurASc group particularly emphasized the importance of "job-producing shoreline restoration to promote climate resilience" through initiatives that build living shorelines and natural barriers 2 .
| Ecosystem Type | Carbon Sequestration Rate (per hectare/year) | Coastal Protection Value | Additional Benefits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mangrove Forests | Up to 1,000 kg COâ‚‚ equivalent | Reduces wave height by up to 66% | Nursery habitat for fish, water filtration |
| Seagrass Meadows | Up to 830 kg COâ‚‚ equivalent | Stabilizes seafloor, reduces erosion | Food for marine life, oxygen production |
| Tidal Marshes | Up to 900 kg COâ‚‚ equivalent | Buffers storm surge, traps sediments | Bird habitat, water quality improvement |
Table: Carbon Storage Capacity of Blue Carbon Ecosystems
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have emerged as a crucial tool for building ocean resilience. The 30x30 initiative—which aims to establish MPAs covering at least 30% of U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone waters—has gained significant traction 2 . These protected areas act like climate arks, safeguarding biodiversity and creating refuges where species can adapt to changing conditions.
The science behind this is compelling: fully protected marine areas show up to 21% greater carbon sequestration and support ecosystems that are significantly more resilient to climate impacts 2 . In December 2021, the Biden-Harris Administration announced an executive order to preserve 30% of U.S. federal waters as Marine Protected Areas by 2030, directly implementing this key recommendation 2 .
As exciting as these innovations are, scientists are sounding alarm bells about the "governance gaps" in marine-climate interventions. According to a recent paper in Science, "the pace of interventions is outstripping capacity to prevent unintended consequences because governance systems to ensure responsible transformation of marine systems are not yet in place" 5 .
"As a group of interdisciplinary marine and climate scientists, we all started thinking, 'hang on, what's going on here?' This is actually problematic. The field is moving so fast."
The paper describes marine-climate interventions as developing in an "under-regulated pseudo-scientific bubble" where funders and scientists play a "de facto governance role" due to a regulatory vacuum 5 .
A case study from England illustrates these tensions perfectly. Canadian startup Planetary Technologies attempted an ocean alkalinity enhancement operation in St. Ives Bay, Cornwall—adding a magnesium-hydroxide slurry to treated wastewater to enhance carbon absorption. Despite regulatory approval, the company faced significant local opposition because the public wasn't consulted until after the trial.
Neil Adger, a professor at the University of Exeter and co-author of the Science paper, characterized this approach as "a new form of extractivism" where companies gain benefits through carbon credits while any unforeseen risks are borne by locals 5 .
For the curious about how researchers study these interventions, here are key methods and their applications:
| Research Method | Primary Function | Application Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement | Increases ocean carbon uptake | Adding alkaline substances to seawater to chemically enhance COâ‚‚ absorption |
| Assisted Evolution | Boosts climate resilience | Selective breeding of heat-resistant corals or gene editing for adaptation |
| Ocean Iron Fertilization | Stimulates phytoplankton growth | Adding iron to iron-deficient waters to promote carbon-absorbing blooms |
| Autonomous Ocean Sensors | Monitors intervention impacts | Deploying floating sensors to track carbon levels, temperature, acidity |
| Satellite Surveillance | Tracks large-scale changes | Monitoring seaweed farm expansion, mangrove cover loss, or phytoplankton blooms |
| Environmental DNA (eDNA) Sampling | Measures biodiversity impacts | Testing water samples for genetic material to assess ecosystem health |
Table: Key research methods and technologies used in developing and monitoring ocean-based climate solutions 5
The ocean represents an essential frontier in our climate response—but it's not a silver bullet. As the CAS-EurASc academicians emphasize, ocean-based measures must complement—not replace—aggressive emissions reductions 1 9 . The most promising path forward combines:
of "decisive" measures like offshore wind and mangrove restoration
into "low regret" options with strong monitoring protocols
that ensures equitable participation of Indigenous knowledge, local communities, and international oversight
about risks, benefits, and uncertainties
Kristina Gjerde, senior high seas adviser to IUCN, stresses that we need global frameworks for these decisions: "What sort of harm are you willing to accept to the marine environment to have some temporary influence on climate change? This is exactly the type of debate that is too big for any commercial interest or even a scientific research interest" 5 .
The ocean has given us a buffer against climate change; now it offers us a portfolio of solutions. How we implement them—with wisdom, precaution, and equity—will determine whether we turn the tide on our climate crisis or create new problems beneath the waves. The collaboration between European and Chinese scientific academies shows that when we approach our ocean with shared purpose, we can find common ground—and common solutions—for our blue planet.