WHAT IS OCEAN IMPACT?
“Even if you never have the chance to see or touch the ocean, the ocean touches you.”
- Sylvia Earle
We live on Planet Ocean
We live on Planet Ocean. We may have labelled it Planet Earth, but the ocean is most certainly the defining feature of our blue globe. The ocean underpins the critical functions of the global ecosystem we rely on. It flows through every aspect of our lives. It produces two thirds of the oxygen we breathe, regulates our climate, fuels the water cycle, provides nourishment for nearly three billion people and sustains the livelihoods of millions. The ocean also facilitates an enormous level of economic activity that underpins our global economy.
The Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, set out a detailed blueprint for achieving ‘peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future’. SDG 14, titled Life Below Water, outlines goals and methodologies to conserve and sustainably use the ocean, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Click here for the SDG 14 Life Below Water Targets
At Ocean Impact Organisation, we believe that ‘ocean impact’ refers to and encompasses all activities that have the potential to have a significant positive impact on the ocean and the people that depend on it. We also understand the interdependency, and associated co-benefits, that SDG 14 has with a number of other Sustainable Development Goals.
With a mission ‘to create an abundant and sustainable ocean through inspiration, innovation, leadership and good business’ we understand that the ocean is downstream from everything and therefore, limiting our thinking to saltwater and traditional marine industries alone misses vast opportunities for ocean impact.
Ocean impact can originate on land, long distances upstream from the ocean, and involve diverse industries and individuals making simple or strategic changes to new or existing projects.
Some examples of ocean impact could be an existing wild catch fishing operation that is working on developing a new piece of fishing technology that can reduce by-catch by 20%, as much as it could be a biotech startup working on lab grown seafood to reduce the need for wild caught fish.
Can technology help reduce fishing bycatch rates?
Ocean impact can be solutions for retrieving plastic from the ocean itself, or we can proceed upstream and find solutions that stem the flow of plastic pollution into the world’s rivers and stormwater infrastructure. Further upstream again, there is immense potential for innovation in consumer products and packaging that is more environmentally friendly than the majority of petrochemical options used today.
Ocean impact could be a new credit card that passes a portion of its transaction fees to grassroots ocean habitat restoration projects, or it could be large scale seaweed farming to drive new industries in seaweed edibles and bioproducts at the same time as sequestering enormous amounts of carbon emissions. Ocean impact can be blue financing to increase the rate of mangrove or coral reef restoration projects worldwide, or it could mean embracing biomimicry to create a new range of high performance wetsuit materials based on the properties of sharks and seals.
Mangroves are incredibly important and valuable ecosystems
Ocean impact could be biometric security technology that streamlines international goods shipping at the same time as reducing the incidents of illegal smuggling and human rights violations at sea, or it could be the harnessing of tidal energy to reduce the world’s reliance on fossil fuel based energy.
Ocean impact could be a new range of surf craft materials that embrace more sustainably sourced inputs or it could be a large scale media production with an effective message that raises awareness and changes consumer behaviour.
Photo credit Underwater Earth / XL Catlin Seaview / Christophe Bailhache
There are enormous untapped investment opportunities in the interrelated environmental challenges that are ahead of us. We firmly believe that business can be a force for good in the world and that with deep purpose at the core of any economic activity, the ocean and by extension the global ecosystem can be dramatically improved.
We’ve identified six ocean impact themes that present exciting possibilities for inspiration, innovation, leadership and good business. Read on below.
Are you working on an ocean impact idea? Investor, startup mentor, corporate partner, philanthropist, or just want to follow our journey? Register here.
1 - Ocean Health
Ocean health is a broad category with many sub-areas that require attention. Some of these include ecosystem protection and restoration, waste management and recycling, circular economy, alternative materials, agricultural practices, urban development and blue financing.
Sustainable Development Goal 14.1 highlights the need to prevent and reduce marine pollution of all kinds, particularly from land-based activities such as marine debris and nutrient pollution. According to the United Nations, land based sources of marine pollution, including agricultural runoff and nutrient, pesticide, and sewage runoff, account for 80% of marine pollution globally.
While Australia committed to protect and preserve the marine environment from adverse impacts of land based activities when it adopted the Global Program of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities (GPA) in 1995, twenty-five years later, marine pollution is at a critical level. Such poor performance is a cause for concern, but this presents promising opportunities in new waste management and recycling technologies and innovative agricultural practices that can work to address these challenges.
Ocean health is a human concern. We are the main influence that can determine if we have an ocean that is thriving with life and opportunity, or if we have the sad alternative. Much work is already being done to reduce plastic pollution and clean up the mess already made, but so much needs to be done ‘upstream’ to truly solve this problem.
2 - Harvesting
Some sub themes within harvesting include traditional fisheries and aquaculture, ‘smart’ fishing gear, regenerative aquaculture, aquaculture digitization, fish feed replacements, and lab grown seafood. Some current harvesting practices continue to negatively impact ocean health as well as contribute to plastic pollution. Today, fishing equipment makes up approximately half of all the plastic waste in the ocean, with a study in 2018 finding that 46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch consists of fishing nets.
Nearshore aquaculture fish pens
The number of overfished stocks globally has tripled in half a century and today fully one-third of the world's assessed fisheries are currently pushed beyond their biological limits.
In Australia a recent commercial fishing assessment shows that efforts to produce sustainable seafood are currently undermined by overfishing and lack of data on fish stocks. The Status of Australian Fish Stocks 2018 report found that 21 percent of Australian fish stocks are classified as either depleted, depleting, or undefined. A lack of consistent reporting frameworks across jurisdictions means that there is no reliable data for national total bycatch. There is a great need for a nationwide analysis of the impacts of fishing on marine habitats.
As well as addressing ocean health issues, innovation in harvesting techniques and technologies could also be a promising means of achieving SDG target 14.7, which is focused on increasing benefits to small island developing states and least developed countries. Aquaculture is the world’s largest growing food industry, accounting for 50% of global seafood supply, and supporting the livelihoods of 10-12% of the world’s population. It is widely considered to be the most environmentally-friendly form of protein production. However, there are certain challenges within aquaculture that require creative solutions.
Disease outbreak is currently the single greatest challenge and limit to growth in the aquaculture industry. A key disease prevention strategy is to relocate marine aquaculture farms to land-based recirculating systems that have no contact with potential disease transmitters, or at greater depths off-shore. Both of these strategies are capital intensive for farm operators and require technological innovation to become profitable. Furthermore, for aquaculture to take pressure off wild fisheries the volume of fish used in feed needs to be less than the amount of fish harvested. The risk of escapes that endanger wild fish species needs to be addressed more effectively, and the use of antibiotics and chemicals needs to be reduced by higher immunity through nutrition - improving yields, profits and sustainability.
Given the dramatic impacts of aquaculture on our oceans today and the growing demand for marine protein, the opportunities for innovation and solutions are great and growing.
3 - Transportation & Security
More than 90% of global trade relies on sea routes. Cargo as a means of transportation in particular is currently dominated by large, slow-speed diesel engines, which burn heavy fuel oil (HFO) which is a type of fuel that has the highest levels of pollutants due to its high sulphur content. Each year, the international shipping industry produces 1000 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, and it has been estimated that at current rates, by 2050 shipping will contribute to almost a fifth of carbon dioxide emissions worldwide.
More than 90% of global trade relies on sea routes
The International Transport Forum (ITF) recently released a report concluding that if we act now, we will be able to decarbonize maritime transport by 2035, emphasising the important role that industrial shipping can play in a sustainable ocean economy. Alternative fuels and energy sources are crucial components of this transformation. Currently, most ships utilize heavy fuel oil derived from crude oil distillation, a high-sulphur product which when combusted, emits sulphur oxides into the air and atmosphere which are harmful to human health and cause acid rain, leading to ocean acidification.
The International Maritime Organization, under the banner of IMO 2020 effective as of January, set out a robust cut to global permissible sulphur dioxide content in marine fuel emissions from 3.5 to 0.50% m/m (mass by mass). This will result in cleaner air, positive impacts on human health, and the use of higher quality fuels.
This important, positive development presents several challenges and opportunities. One main concern is the adequate supply of fuel alternatives and the price impacts of switching to these alternative fuels. There is an opportunity for innovation and leadership to meet the rapidly increased demand for low-sulphur fuel alternatives in light of these new regulations.
Some new innovations in marine fuels and energy sources include new and innovative fuel concepts, ocean-based renewable energy, and more rigid national and international standards for conventional marine fuels. Clean hydrogen is one alternative being explored, with progress being made in the production of hydrogen energy from water on-board shipping vessels. Such a technological breakthrough could make maritime transport much more sustainable but there is much work and innovation to be done to make this a commercial reality.
4 - Energy
Sustainable Development Goal 7, ‘Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all’, highlights the way we produce and consume energy is strongly correlated to the overall amount of CO2 an economy emits and contributes to global warming. As a ratifier of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, Australia has commitments to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases dramatically, and this endeavor is inextricably related to the targets of SDG 14. Australia is in a unique position to lead the world in renewable energy. Beyond Zero Emissions' 'Renewable Energy Superpower Report', released in 2015 estimated that Australia's potential to generate solar and wind energy is 75% higher than its current combined reserves of coal, gas, oil, and uranium, and would be enough to power the entire world for a decade.
Australia is an ideal location for wave and tidal energy production
Water availability is also a pressing problem in Australia, as demand is increasing due to a growing population and international trade in commodities that consume vast amounts of water. In addition to such local and global demands on Australia’s water supply, climate change and land-use practices reduce availability further. Desalination of ocean water is a potential avenue to address this problem but high levels of energy are required to achieve the scale of desalination needed to fill the water gap. Ocean Renewable Energy (ORE) would be a natural solution to support this as it provides power at the source.
A 2016 report on ORE in Australia found that the most pressing challenge in this sector was achieving stronger coordination and the need for a representing body to oversee initiatives supporting the growth of the industry. Australia, as an island nation, is an ideal location for wave and tidal energy production, with some arguing that we have the world’s largest wave energy resources. There are extensive opportunities in technology development and education, as well as awareness about renewable energy. In addition, it has been estimated that by 2030, Ocean Renewable Energy (ORE) could make up 10% of Australian renewable energy production.
The Australian Ocean Energy Group was recently formed specifically to facilitate collaboration, apply innovation, expand market opportunities, engage with government, reduce costs, and increase efficiencies across the different sectors of the ocean energy industry in Australia.
As a predominantly coastal population (85% of Australians live within 50km of the coast), ORE presents a reliable supply of renewable energy situated close to demand. Another associated benefit of ORE is the possibility for integration of coastal protection infrastructure to energy generating sites, which will become increasingly necessary as sea levels rise due to climate change. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) has pointed out that innovation in ocean based energy, including wave, tidal, and ocean thermal energy is particularly attractive due to its high predictability and availability in Australia.
5 - New Frontiers
The ocean provides a plethora of new frontiers and possibilities for innovation and increasing sustainability that have yet to be explored, such as marine bio solutions and products, marine biomimicry, ocean exploration, underwater robotics, IOT for oceans, and the large scale production of seaweed.
Seaweed in particular has many potential uses that promote positive ocean impact, including as an alternative input to fossil fuels when producing plastic; a means of food and income security for communities in developing countries; improving the overall health of the ocean; fighting climate change (by treating wastewater, combatting ocean acidification and absorbing carbon dioxide); and as a base material for the production of useful, nutritious, 100% biodegradable, products. Seaweed grows at a rate approximately 30 times faster than land-based plants, and In Indonesia, every 100,000 tonnes of seaweed produced removes 500 tonnes of nitrogen, 50 tonnes of phosphorus, and 15,000 tonnes of carbon from the ocean.
The potential for large scale seaweed farming is enormous (Image: Sea Forest)
China is home to over 500 square kilometres of seaweed farms, which contribute to around three quarters of the world’s annual seaweed supply. In 2012, a report by The University of the South Pacific demonstrated that if just 9% of the world’s oceans were dedicated to seaweed farming, farmed seaweed would produce 12 gigatonnes a year of bio-digested methane that could substitute the burning of natural gas and would also capture 19 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide. If the methane were burned to generate electricity, and the carbon dioxide generated was captured and stored, it could replace all of today’s needs in fossil fuel energy and remove 53 billion tonnes of CO2 per year from the atmosphere. It could also provide 200 kilograms of sustainable fish production per year, per person, for 10 billion people, while reducing ocean acidification and increasing biodiversity.
While 9% of the ocean is equivalent to four and a half times the size of Australia, these findings demonstrate the immense impact that even smaller scale seaweed farming could have.
Lab-grown seafood is another innovative development that promises multifaceted benefits, such as reducing overfishing, preventing animal killing, and eliminating mercury and microplastic contamination in seafood.
6 - Inspiration
It is important that we feel connected to the ocean and inspired to address the problems it faces. Communications about ocean issues must highlight the centrality of ocean health and sustainability to all life on Earth. Economists estimate that the total value of the ocean’s ecosystem services is around $24 trillion - if it were a country, it would be the seventh largest economy on the planet.
An indispensable tool in achieving positive ocean impact is through the improvement of ocean literacy and activism through communication. It is undeniable that action in the environmental space must be accompanied by nuanced and informed understandings of the interrelated aspects of the ecological problems we face. Furthermore, a more educated and activated public is vital to achieving necessary ocean-friendly government policies worldwide.
People protect what they love, and they love what they get to experience
There is arguably no more effective way to inspire love and protection for the ocean and the environment more broadly than through immersive travel and first hand experience.
Ocean based sports and activities including surfing, diving, and snorkelling are low-impact ways that individuals are able to form a deeper relationship with the ocean and the life forms within it, expanding propensities for nurture, respect and care. Furthermore, sustainable tourism is an exciting avenue for protecting and celebrating marine ecosystems while providing economic opportunities, particularly for less developed and least developed countries, as set out in SDG 14.7. In order for sustainable tourism to expand further and replace many harmful impacts of traditional tourism, significant funding and investment is required to boost low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive tourism.
In addition to first hand experience, developments in augmented, virtual and mixed reality are now able to provide us with very close to “the real thing” experiences which would previously have been off limits to all but a handful of well funded explorers. This is an exciting space which is rapidly developing and will be a very useful way to capture the hearts of a new generation of ocean protectors.
Technology is quickly developing to allow more of us to experience the underwater world
Our Collective Capacity for Ocean Impact
While we must acknowledge the anthropogenic nature of the current crises we collectively face, our goal is to highlight our collective capacity for positive ocean impact. Through inspiration, innovation, leadership and good business we can dismantle narratives that a thriving economy must come at the cost of a healthy environment. There are a myriad of limitless opportunities for progress and sustainable solutions to ocean issues, and our capacity to enact these transformations is only expanding. It’s up to us, as custodians of the ocean, to harness and nurture these opportunities and see them succeed.
Historically, we have been the ‘problem’. Today, we are the only solution we have.
Planet Ocean needs the best ideas and solutions we can create.
Are you working on an ocean impact idea? Investor, startup mentor, corporate partner, philanthropist, or just want to follow our journey? Register here.