A GREEN AND BLUE ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND AUSTRALIA’S SEAWEED FUTURE

As the COVID-19 crisis continues to disrupt our everyday lives, discussions are underway about what our economic path forward could look like. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen drastic policy changes swiftly enacted in what has been praised as a ‘non-political’ approach - an effort to adjust to evolving circumstances based on scientific evidence. 

However, when it comes to the discussion of Australia’s COVID-19 economic recovery plan, there is an increasingly polarised perspective on what the future should hold. The Federal Government’s ‘gas-fired recovery’ proposals are steaming along with plans to unlock major fossil fuel projects around the country, including right off the coast of Sydney with the PEP 11 proposal. 

(For more insight into PEP-11 and the campaign to protect the biodiverse region between Sydney and Newcastle, we encourage you to listen to Episode 21 of The Ocean Impact Podcast with Save Our Coast founder Natasha Deen, and read our blog post on PEP 11 here.)

To many, this ‘gas-fired’ recovery is a step backwards when we have an opportunity to step forwards. An economic recovery plan should go beyond bouncing back from COVID-19 and set us up for a sustainable, just, and resilient economy. Beyond Zero Emissions has put forward a visionary Million Jobs Plan that shows how Australia can create millions of jobs and a thriving economy rich in opportunity by transitioning into a zero-carbon, renewable energy superpower. 

In addition, our Pitchfest Partners WWF have release the ‘Adjust and Transform’ report with EY illustrating the incredible opportunities for a post COVID-19 regenerative economy. 

A period of change, inconvenience, and forced adaptation is a reality which many environmentally-minded Australians recognize would always be necessary in order to address the climate crisis. Before the pandemic, we had the effects of climate change right on our doorstep in the catastrophic bushfire season of 2019/20. Rather than propelling us into further crises down the road, the pandemic could be the catalyst for a green transformation that is long overdue.

We recently held an Instagram Live conversation with environmental advocate and key figure in Australia’s new vision for the future and resistance to new offshore petroleum projects Sean Doherty. The Instagram Live conversation is now available as a podcast here. 

In this podcast Sean speaks at length about his reasons and passion for increasingly focussing his sights on environmental issues whilst still maintaining his role as an author, surf journalist, Chair of Surfrider Foundation Australia and Head of Brand Engagement with Patagonia Australia. For those actively following and contributing to the conversation about the future of Australia’s unique and fragile coastal environment Sean is quickly becoming a key spokesperson and champion. After a listen to this episode it’s highly likely you’ll join his growing tribe. 

The Future of the Seaweed Industry in Australia is Getting Clearer

One major player in Australia’s green future could be a thriving seaweed industry. The Australian Seaweed Institute has just released The Australian Seaweed Industry Blueprint commissioned by AgriFutures Australia, a detailed report examining the current state of our seaweed industry and proposing recommendations that would propel forward what could be a $1.5 billion industry by 2040. 

To hear straight from the founder and CEO of the Australian Seaweed Institute tune in to Episode 24 of The Ocean Impact Podcast now. 

Despite our deep connection to the ocean, Australia lags behind the rest of the world when it comes to seaweed production. However, momentum is rapidly building in this space in 2020 as the scale of the opportunity is realised. Demand and applications for seaweed are growing well beyond the traditional uses for food, fertilisers and pharmaceuticals with rapid growth and interest in nutraceuticals, bioplastics, livestock feed and carbon sequestration. 

The blueprint outlines the immense potential for building an entire supply chain from producing, to processing, and consuming, which would provide thousands of jobs across value chains and bring jobs to regional areas of the country. Such an industry would not only provide economic benefits, but have social and economic benefits inherently built in. 

There are over 12,000 reported species of seaweed globally and of the 1000’s that exist in Southern Australia alone - 60% are reported to occur nowhere else on the planet. Native red seaweeds show particular promise, with the Asparogopsis species being shown to reduce the production of methane gas in cattle by up to 99% when just 2% of dried product is added to their feed, considerably mitigating the effects of climate change from the livestock sector. According to the blueprint, the development of Asparagopsis cultivation at scale is the single biggest opportunity for rapid industry growth in Australia. 

Research has shown that large-scale cultivation at sea could positively impact the ocean (Gentry et al. 2019). Seaweed aquaculture has been shown to improve conditions of coastal waters, absorbing substantial amounts of carbon dioxide and other nutrients, increasing biodiversity and potentially buffering rising levels of ocean acidification. Food production at sea also offsets the need to clear land for agricultural production.

The main barriers to industry growth at present include regulatory approval for large ocean leases and necessary funding for RD&E to close technical knowledge gaps for species cultivation. Despite challenges, there is an opportunity to create a seaweed industry that would generate over $100 million by 2025 and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by 3% a year from 2025.

To read more the Blueprint can be downloaded here.